Saturday Musings: Why I turned off the stars

So I didn't literally turn off THE stars. But I DID turn them off on my Facebook page. Why? Is there something I'm trying to hide? No. But honesty is a big thing for me. The way that Facebook page ratings are set up are kinda screwy and they don't allow for honest reviews.

Freedigitalphotos.net

One of my friends posted the other day about a review she'd received stating that her product was messy and unprofessional. This friend, also very proud of the work she does and having received tons of other complimentary reviews, asked the reviewer what she had made for her and how she could fix it. There was, of course, no response because said reviewer had never purchased anything from my friend.

Freedigitalphotos.net by digitalart

I thought long and hard about this and decided to go in and look at my reviews and star ratings. I was plugging along at 4.5 stars. Not too bad. I can't please everyone, although I do try! However, all I had were stars, which were not followed by any comments or actual reviews. Someone had left 1 star and I couldn't think of a single customer that had ever expressed any displeasure with my work.

So I explored a bit further. Seems that the way Facebook has their review process set up is not very favorable for pages and businesses. People can come onto your page and leave however many stars they want or scathing reviews, without actually ever having experienced your product or dealt with you personally! I was a little bit shocked and sickened because this means that anyone, anywhere, at any time can pop on to your page and destroy your business!

Etsy has installed a similar review system, but someone actually has to purchase your product before they can leave you a review. And if they don't like it, at least it is an honest feeling based on something substantial.

My aforementioned friend also said that she looked at some of the other pages this reviewer had followed and found that she had a friend in the same business as my friend. (I know that's confusing, but I don't want to say names or allude to what she does.) She had left a 5-star stellar review on the other person's page. Hmm...seems a bit fishy to me!

Freedigitalphotos.net by ImageryMajestic

I think honest reviews are a way for sellers to show their customers that they can (or cannot) do the work they are saying they can do. If someone honestly likes something, they should let that seller know. If they honestly don't, let them know why. It's just too easy for dishonest people to abuse the system that Facebook has in place. So I shut off the stars.

If you want honest reviews of my work from customers, please visit my Etsy page and see what I'm doing for others! 

Internet theft

Have you ever posted an image of one of your creations to the internet? Many people have, and many people use these images to sell products. I do. I take pictures of all my quilts and use them as examples of my work so that others know what they can expect. I post them all over Etsy, Zibbet, Pinterest, my blog, and Facebook.

Last week I received a message from a fellow Etsian that she had seen images of my work posted in a "secret group" on Facebook and the woman was claiming them as work she could do. The kind messenger added me to the group, and sure enough, there were my images. I contacted the admins and confronted the woman. I told her that while I was flattered she thought my work was good enough to claim as her own, I did not want her using them. She took them down and apologized, but she knew it was wrong and I'm still angry about it.

If you've ever had anything stolen from you, you can understand the feeling of violation and distrust that comes from that action. I know they were just pictures, but here's the thing: I've worked for two years to build up my reputation, business, presence, and skill. I've spent thousands of dollars and loads of valuable time to do this. My business is always on my mind and in my heart. I explore new techniques and improve my skill set whenever possible. The theft and use of my pictures is like having someone else say, " Screw your two years of work. I'm claiming them as my own and building my business off of your back!" It makes me so angry because not only is she trying to profit off of me, but she is also destroying a reputation I've tried so hard to build up. I handle my business with integrity and client trust and recommendation. When I see someone using images that aren't theirs, I instantly think they either can't do the work or have never tried.

We live in a society that includes citizens who think it is their right to take from others when they haven't done a thing to deserve or earn it. While there are some working hard and living off of their own work and profit, there are others that think that should get a piece of the other person's pie. Our own first lady had stated that, "Others should give up a piece of their pie." We'll, I'm sorry Michelle, but if they want pie, let them bake it themselves!!!

For my little incident I spent many hours over a period of 3 days watermarking my images. On Etsy that includes 98 images. I bought a watermark from https://www.etsy.com/shop/NolaRejeweled and a program called uMark. The watermarks only cost me about $6. The program costs $30 if you want the pro features, which I needed. This is not a huge amount, but it was certainly a lesson learned. I'm going to continue fighting to keep what I have earned, as I think all working American citizens should. Don't give up your pie if you've worked hard to find all the ingredients, put them together, and bake it! You want pie? Work for it, but don't give it away. 

Moving On

Owning a small business is tough. At one point you hope that you can make something that everyone will want and you can sell it. When you find something that sells, you don't want to let go of it. But what if that something makes you unhappy? What if every time you sell that item you dread the entire process and wish you didn't have to do it? Is it then worth continuing to make the product, just so you can sell it?

This is something I've been struggling with for a while. Recently, a member in one of my Etsy groups announced that she would no longer be making some of her popular quilts. She said that she simply wasn't happy making them. She didn't enjoy it and wanted to make other things. Things that she enjoyed making. This was one of those moments when you smack yourself in the head with the heel of your palm and say, "THAT'S what's wrong! THAT'S exactly what I need to do!"

So I did it. And what did I change? I stopped making my embroidered pot holders and small appliance covers. I just didn't enjoy doing it. Most of them would take up to 10 hours to create depending on the intricacy of the embroidery and the quilting. Then it was the fitting and stressing over if it was the right size, if the client would like it, if they sent me the right measurements, etc., etc. I also have a collection of close to 300 different embroidery designs. But not one of them is ever what my clients want, unless it's the rooster and love bug collection.

Honestly, I had only started making the pot holders as a way to run stitch outs for new patterns. Then someone asked if I could make matching appliance covers. Sure! Why not?? Thus started my journey down that road. Psh! Why do I do such things to myself??? My covers were quilted, embroidered, some with piping and ruffles and took forever. I just couldn't make them fast enough to justify the price people wanted to pay.

I. Just. Quit. I removed all of them from my Etsy shop. I let people know on my Facebook page, and I am now only doing quilts and moving into making knitting and crochet patterns. I want to do what I love to do, not something that stresses me out. Besides, isn't that one of the benefits of working for yourself?

It all sounds terribly selfish, but it's not. I'm giving up the sales I was making off of them. I'm working on a new path that I'm not sure will sell, but hopefully will. It's a risk. But I'm going to do it. I finished up my last mixer cover this past Sunday, put it in the mail on Monday, and nearly skipped out of the post office, knowing I would never have to do another one. It was a very freeing moment.

Are you a small business owner? What are some moves you've made in your business that you weren't too sure of? How did it work out?