Ode to Joy

This is the name of the etsy Treasury that I set up yesterday. Yes, it is the name of a hymn also, I know that. That's why it is called that. This is my first Treasury that I've been able to do, so I'm very excited about it.

There's a problem here though. I am assuming that everyone that reads this is a part of etsy.com and many of aren't. I know that because I look at my stats and I know that many of you have probably never even heard of etsy. So, allow me to backtrack for just a moment and tell you what it is I'm talking about.

Etsy.com is a shopping site for folks who want to shop for handmade, individual items of almost every sort, vintage items or craft supplies. It is a Crafters Mall kind of place, the largest arts and crafts fair ever. So, if you like arts and crafts fairs, etsy is the place for you.

Some people are shoppers on etsy, some people are shop owners on etsy, and some people are actually both on etsy. I'm a shopper and shop owner there.

Now, on to the Treasury part. A treasury is a grouping of items available on etsy that is chosen by an etsy member to be displayed on the Treasury site of etsy. The items can be anything on etsy, in any type of grouping. The grouping can have a theme, color scheme...whatever. As the treasury is placed, other etsians have the opportunity to look at your grouping, make comments, or purchase from the vendors that you have chosen. The treasury you have chosen lasts for 3 days, then allows room for other treasuries to open up.

The hard part is actually finding an opening to get a treasury in there in the first place. There are literally hundreds of etsians looking for an opening...kind of like finding a parking place for the biggest sale in town on Christmas eve...or the day after Thanksgiving. I sat at the computer and calculated how long it would take for the next treasury spot to open up, based on how many minutes or hours left on the older treasuries there were. Then, I set my timer to about 30 minutes before that calculated time just to make sure I didn't muff up.

It was a good thing I did that too. Apparently, I did some miscalculation because when the timer went off, I was at the computer, staring at the treasury section, my finger on my mouse, ready to click when the time was right. I only had to wait 10 minutes before an opening popped up. When it did, I clicked my mouse at the spot so hard, the mouse almost flew out of my hand! I guess I didn't realize how much anticipation I was in until then. I opened up another window to etsy and began to transfer the information on the items I wanted in my treasury, finished it and then proudly watched my treasury being viewed by dozens of people.

Now, it was time to start notifying the shop owners that I had put them in a treasury. Usually, they like to know that sort of thing. So, I began to e mail them. Then, I e mailed or sent bulletins on my social web sites to let people know that they should come and look at my treasury.

When my treasury started, it was page 27 of the treasury (the least looked at and clicked on). I watched most of the evening as my treasury slowly made its way through the ranks and finally hit page 6 by bedtime.

This morning, I looked again and low and behold, it is now on page 4. Wow! My treasury is a hot mama in the world of treasuries!

OK, so what is so great about a treasury? First off, lots of people see you as the maker of the treasury, so you get some exposure. You link up with other shop owners in the process of choosing them for your treasury, so you get some networking exposure too. It is basically a win win scenario.

Can't wait to find another treasury opening now. I'm hooked!