What is Project Wonderful?

Project Wonderful is an online advertising broker with an innovative model that brings fairness, transparency, and profitability to the advertising process.”

So, lets say you have a blog (hint: this is a blog) and either want to earn revenue to advertise, or advertise yourself, Project Wonderful (PW) offers a low cost way for you to do so. Actually, you can spend as much as you want from free (a great price) to well, however much you want.

There are several ways to use Project Wonderful, I am going to link to a great resource that I also recommend you follow in addition to the Awesome Chicks blog. If you know you are interested in starting to advertise, create an account, it’s free to start and that is a wonderful bonus of this form of advertising.

This is how I started using PW. I found a few blogs that I follow who’s owners clearly have PW ads running (you will see a little PW ad note below the actual ad itself). If it was a blog that I was interested in advertising on I clicked on the little text below the ad to get some more information about how much traffic that site gets to see if the going rate is something I am interested in spending. I also like to see a blog that the owner regularly posts in and promotes as well as someone who is supportive to their online viewers and community.

You will need to create (or have created) some ads for your shop or whatever you want to advertise. A clear photo that draws people in and makes them want to know more is great. It’s not easy to make people click things, and even harder to separate them from their money once they are in your shop, but definitely don’t let that stop you from trying! There is value in getting your name and product out there that can pay you back in the long term. And it’s usually pretty easy to find ad space for free anyway.

The most popular ad size and therefore easiest to place is 125 pixels square. It’s what I have on my personal blog and most of what I use to advertise on other blogs. Upload your ads in the create a new ad section of PW, these will be your ad photos to select from when you create a new ad.

If I like a blog and am interested in placing an ad, I click the Place Bid button and take a look at how much I want to spend for which location I prefer. It’s pretty easy to get started: Choose which ad you want to use for the blog you have selected, decide how much per day is your maximum price, when the bid starts, and how long you want it to last based on either time, or max cost.

Then click the place bid button.

The person who runs the blog has the option to review your ad before it runs or restrict certain bids automatically based on content, animation or maturity rating. So you may have to wait to see the ad run, if not they appear pretty instantly on the blog so that you can be giddy and start tracking your clicks.

The great thing about PW is that it offers stats about the blog itself, and the clicks on your ad. This is how I determined that my TP ads get the most clicks, and it’s why I use them most of the time. The one thing that I cannot tell, is if the person who saw the ad and clicked on it is the same person who made a purchase. I can only tell that if they let me know how they found me. For that reason, I have tried some ads with coupon codes, but don’t have any results from them yet. If a person uses the code when they make a purchase, I know they saw the ad.

So, those are the basic basics for you to get started. There is lots more on the PW site to take a look at and I really like the opportunity it gives me to advertise for a low price, and free if I choose to.

Here is another way to advertise on PW brought to you by the fantastically supportive Timothy Adams Designs who also sells on Etsy and started a site called Handmadeology.
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Licia is the insane brain behind the AwesomeChicksofEtsy blog and google group. She started selling on Etsy in early 2008 and hopes to help others using what she has learned . Her LiciaBeads store can be found here.

The Front Page and how to Stalk Yourself

One of the things that everyone strives for in the online marketplace is being able to have themselves featured somewhere so that they can be seen by a large crowd. On Etsy, that means the front page. It's the homepage that always looks fantastic and is specially chosen by the administration of Etsy usually based on Treasuries curated by Etsy buyers, sellers and browsers. The Etsy folks seem to be mixing things up, as this treasury uses recently listed items from the time machine 2. It changes regularly, and there is no telling if you were there without a little help from some friends and "self stalking" as I like to call it.

First and foremost, I would like to Congratulate Blue Nostalgia on her front page feature and resulting sales and Etsy love.

Blue Nostalgia joined the Awesome Chicks on January 10th. Etsy has been quite the experience since opening her initial shop in late October. I don't know how often it happens that the first shops quickly get revamped after learning a few things about Etsy. So many people have let their first store go, and opened a new one, with a new name and a altered, or entirely different product. I know I have done it.

To me her store is a mix of antique and classic metals with sleek stones that give it a simple modern look. I know that there is something on my list from her store and the time will come when I can no longer help myself and I will have to buy it. It's like that for me...things stare at me and eventually, I must have them.

I'm sure it is a great start to the day for her, and I predict that she will do well on Etsy and meet the goals she has set for herself if she persists. Congratulations Blue!
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Here is a little note on how to stalk yourself. This is just a bit of how I personally stalk myself on a daily basis. See, I don't have too much else to do in Winter.
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Search the Treasuries
I like to check them both (yes, there are two, one is kinda hidden). The Main Treasury and Treasury West will have a little gold star if you are in it. It's a grey star if you are an alternate, and a blue star if you created it yourself.
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Visit Heart.o.matic (aka Majaba)
Oh yes, this is the funnest thing for us self stalkers. Lovingly created by some fantastic supportive people who help us out to make Etsy that much more addictive and a little easier to get to "heart" information. Type your shop name in the box, press enter and see who "hearts" you right down to the time stamp of when you were loved :) Check your item hearts to see what item is most loved. I think that all the secret admirers are celebrities waiting to buy for the Oscars, totally right?
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Analytics
Here is a relatively new one. Etsy has been working to satisfy the requests for some kind of statistics. It is a great help to let shop owners know a thing or two about how to advertise and what may or may not work. So load it up, and see what you can gain from the information it presents to you. It takes a day to build some stats though, so be patient. Find the Web Analytics setup in Your Etsy and under the Shop Setup heading.

You will need to have a google account to do this, which you can set up easily.

To set up your analytics you MUST read the directions carefully. I don't think you can break anything, but reading them really carefully will save you some frustration. Hunt thru the line of characters that Google gives you when you sign up and find the ones that appear in this format: UA-XXXXXXX-X. The x's will be numbers's, enter them in the tracking ID box and save your changes.
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Google Alerts
Since you have a Google account now ya might as well alert yourself to things that show up on the internet. type your terms (shop name) in the box, decide how detailed and how often you want to be alerted and stick your e-mail in the box. Simple as that, you will get an e-mail when you "show up" online.

Licia is the insane brain behind the AwesomeChicksofEtsy blog and google group. She started selling on Etsy in early 2008 and hopes to help others using what she has learned in the last year. Her LiciaBeads store can be found here.

JuliaCatherine's Tuesday Inaugural Finds 01.20.09

Today January 20th 2009 a major step in our nations history happened, yet again. Let's give some love to the men who made it all possible and our new president.

ValerieGalloway's Martin Luther King Jr.

A photo of MLK graffiti taken in downtown Tucson Arizona. A quote that gives you chills down your spine.

Valerie also has a cropped out shot of just MLK.


risamay's "Rosa Sat" Red Giclee Print


One of the most inspiring quotes of the election season. Marisa donates all proceeds from this item will be put into a fund towards doing good works. Great way to commemorate this historic time in our American History.

Other items tagged 'Obama In RisaMay's shop.

57thirtythree's Obama Forward Tee


Amazing artwork on this shirt. Available in all sizes mens and ladies. Only $20. 100% cotton and printed with water based, environmentally friendly ink.

Other items tagged Obama in 57thirtythree's shop

Good luck Mr President, I look forward to the amazing work you will be doing in the the next 4-8 years.

I hope you all enjoyed this weeks tuesday's finds. I hope to meet you back here sometime soon. Also be sure to check out more great "Tuesday Finds" today on my blog.

xoxo
JuliaCatherine

JuliaCatherine is one of the founding members of "Awesome Chicks of Etsy", she also owns and maintains her etsy shop Julia Catherine Jewelry-Unique Handmade Designer Jewelry. Just a few of her favorite things include; making jewelry, scrapbooking, bird watching, cat watching, watching cats bird watching, drinking water,collecting chicken paraphenalia, 'baking' and general 'heck raising'.

JuliaCatherine's Tuesday Chick Finds.

As you all know we have a theme going here. So I thought I would do my first Tuesday Finds for the Awesome Chicks of Etsy blog on chicks. I did a bit of searching and found some items I really love!

First up is Middleburg's Stuffed Chick Art.
"Made of heavy weight muslin, It has been hand-dyed and detailed. A wooden base under the fabric gives it a bit of weight." All of Middleburg's papier mache pieces are made from 100% recycled ground newspaper, paints and glues are all made in the USA. All the items in this shop look amazing, this seller is a great find! There is also about 30 other items tagged 'bird' in this sellers shop. So there is plenty of bird fowl for us all to go around. Also make sure to check out the handmade garlands boxes and assorted knick knacks.

Julep115's Not a Nugget Eco Friendly Chick pendant
I have to admit I have been eyeing a couple of Julep's items for a while now. This particular pendant is made from eco friendly recycled aluminum. "Chain, clasp, and metal are from ethical sources and are Made in the USA"

Just plain awesome, nuff said.

Check out other items tagged 'chick' in julep115's shop.

Folkit's Dan C pop outsider folk art chicken rooster cool funky fun Vegans Last Longer
I have always been a fan of folkit's artwork. He does alot of chicken art.. and I LOVES ME some chicken art! All of Dans paintings are originals. He does not make prints. Each piece of artwork is painted on eco friendly recycled peices of wood. Check out his shop for more information. Every piece of his artwork has a sense of humor too. You must check out one of my favorites "Chicken Pot Pie" Absolutely amazing and Oh-so-original.

More great works of art tagged "chicken".


I hope you all enjoyed this tuesday's finds. I hope to meet you back here sometime soon. Also be sure to check out other great "Tuesday Finds" today on my blog http://juliacatherine.blogspot.com Theme this week is "oh dear"
xoxo
JuliaCatherine

JuliaCatherine is one of the founding members of "Awesome Chicks of Etsy", she also owns and maintains her etsy shop Julia Catherine Jewelry-Unique Handmade Designer Jewelry. Just a few of her favorite things include; making jewelry, scrapbooking, bird watching, cat watching, watching cats bird watching, drinking water,collecting chicken paraphenalia, 'baking' and general 'heck raising'.

In developement, chick progress notes.

Feel free to be creative with the jammie photos! Here is an example of one that totally qualifies :)

The founding members are in the process of developing fun and helpful resources to help out both our members and followers. We hope to encourage everyone who wants to be involved on a more regular basis to fully join the group.

Followers: We would be delighted to have input about what you are interested in seeing. Just leave a comment to this post!

Members: We have some great ideas about articles that will be available to you! Check out the google group and let us know what you want information about.
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From Licia:

I am interested in passing on what I have learned about shipping internationally from home as well as expanding on the photography tutorial that already exists on my personal blog.

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From Jules:
Welcome to ACE~

I am so excited that we are beginning a group that I am sure will be around for a super long time. I have a background in marketing, PR, SEO, internet research and love to write (as well as all that crafty stuff).

As a newbie, I too am exploring all there is to know about Etsy and learn something new every day. I hope to be able to share all my new discovering with you as well as planning some really fun, egg-citing group activities such as swaps, blog parties, pimping each other’s shops, inspiration and anything else that we can come up with!

We want to make Etsy and this group a fun, positive experience as well as an awesome support group because I know firsthand that there are days when you just need a hug or motivation. So let’s get going chickadees, make new friends and have a spectacular time.

~Jules (http://Whimsicalpeacockarts.etsy.com)
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We want this to be a fun and informative place to get useful information that helps you develop as a crafter and business.

Stay tuned for introductions to the group management!

Send me your links...

Are there some great links out there online that have helped you with your Etsy store?

If you would like to pass them along, I will be making a compilation of sorts for this blog. I have a few that I will be including....Any that you are willing to share are greatly appreciated. I will post them on the sidebar to the right (Chicken feed for Growth) as they are submitted and approved. Thanks for your input!

Welcome and greetings!

Thank you for your interest in the Awesome Chicks of Etsy!

We are comprised of Etsy sellers usually found via Etsy chat, or on Twitter. The purpose of the blog is to help promote, entertain and assist members and followers in the Etsy portion of their lives.It's entirely up to you how involved you become. There are no fees for participation but regular participation is expected just so we know you are still out there and interested. The members keep in touch and share information at the Google Group on a regular basis and participate in group decisions regarding the path of the Chicks.


Roosters are welcome!


To become a member just apply to be a member at the Google group! You will be sent an e-mail with more information about us and details on what you can do to participate. Feel free to participate in the initiation by sending a "jammie photo" to be posted to this blog, a little silly is always welcome here.

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This blog is not affiliated with Etsy Inc. The Awesome Chicks of Etsy logo was created by the blog owner and is not to be distributed without consent. I totally made it myself dudes, cute huh? The chicken herself is the property of the blog owners parents and she lays really great blue eggs. Her name is Chiquita and she is our mascot. (She's the best one, the runt of the "litter" and the quickest.)

Baby photo above (awwww, how cute!)

Adult photo below (she's a skeptical hen)____________________________________
Initiation: You can find many of the members in Etsy chat or twittering, much of the time. Working in ones jammies, staying up late, twittering and chatting it up online. We would love a photo of your chattwittery self, in your jammies (please be respectable) that will be posted on this blog. I'm easy about the photos, heck, put some silly socks on (cause I know you have them) and take a foot shot. It is you in your jammies after all :)