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If you care about your copyrights

June 18th, 2009 at 00:01 am » Comments (2)

First a note to the person(s) authoring recent highly irate drive by emails, expressing their opinion that there was no possibility this would come up again…. because the US Government was too busy instituting Socialistic take overs of private corporations…

Truth is, I kept hoping you were right – but here we go again.

And if you care,

Then best you get ready to defend them… Again

I know many of us have been working on effecting the final form of the CPSIA legislation, but it looks like we will soon be back on the front lines of “Orphan Works Opposition”

This writer has been on target before, so fasten your seatbelts.

http://copyrightaction.com/forum/orphan-storm-warning

Please remember – the best way to reach your congressional representatives & senators
is to call AND write to their district offices. Mail to the Capitol is often delayed because of security concerns.

The “ranking” of response is:

Telegram (costs money)

Letter (costs nominal funds, but time)

Telephone calls (make them frequently and be sure to say you are a voter in their district. if you work from home like me, put the number on speed dial, and call every day.
Ask, if they got your letter, Ask if the Congress Critter has read it.

Email is almost useless. Unless you have a real email for the proper staff person, it may not even be read. Of course, filling up their email box has been known to get their attention

To learn more about the Orphan Works Opposition, please visit
http://www.owoh.org

Wheat







Dear Suits Its About Email Marketing

June 17th, 2009 at 00:01 am » Comments (1)


EMAIL:
USING THE NEW TECHNOLOGY

“I think this is a great time for the craft industry. It’s a matter of the ’suits’ fine-tuning their messages…
… you have to CONNECT with your followers. Folks should be hiring viral marketing craft experts to do these jobs for them; the return on the investment would be significant.”

From the 2009 June 15 edition of the Creative Leisure News and written by Margot Potter used with their permission

To say this hit a nerve will soon be obvious ( and yes, this is a day for understatement)

It might also help if “the suits” AT LEAST hired some one to make sure their emails are easily read. A.C. Moore comes to mind – all greyed out graphics and no text other than a copyright statement.

Now Michael’s does have some newsletter issues, but AT LEAST the link is there to view on line. AND they make it easy to print their coupons – besides their stores are usually cleaner even if the aisles are too close together.

Someone needs to tell the graphics department that Internet Exploder continues to steadily lose market share to FireFox, Opera, and even a growing trend towards Google Chrome browser.

Why is this important?

If I CANNOT READ OR SEE CONTENT,
what’s the point of cluttering my mailbox.

The FIRST line of every e-mail promotion SHOULD be a link to the “if you are having difficulty seeing this add, click here or cut and paste this link…”

Some stores, like JoAnne’s, puts out a readable newsletter each week. However if they are interested in that part of the population willing to spend a bit more for a better quality product, well let’s just say JoAnn’s increasingly seldom has what I want to buy. Still read their ads – even if the links never work – but I can print coupons for use at either JoAnn’s or Michael’s .

Please also make sure the text does not show up in

inch high or larger letters

Just another way of saying PLEASE DO NOT USE WORD to create your news letters and convert them to HTML or other silly microsoft product (Interweave, Kalmback, and others) these get immediately deleted –

NOTHING will make me leave a website faster that “BEST VIEWED WITH….” Who are you to tell me what Browser I should use. Especially if you are telling me to use one that is so insecure as Exploder. Emails just get deleted unless I need the coupon to use at Michael’s and almost never do I visit those sites.

I sincerely hope ALL of the “CHA/Chain” stores need to “get” that Cheap may well be costing them dear…

Those suits seem to think their only customers are unwilling to buy any thing but the cheapest of cheap.

Lately it seems that when the cashier says “did you find everything you need” Our answer is almost invariably “No, but that is not your fault”

It may take a coupon or two to bring’em into the store. Once there, it is that next group, who may buy less but are willing to pay for better quality that will make them money. IF you stock in in your store.

So, Margo, it would be nice if the “suits” realized that lip service to the WWW and the Internet would certainly have a better ROI if ONLY they would THINK – perhaps even take a look at the demographics of who is buying their stuff.

Better yet would be to NOT ignore the “style” of the internet in favor of continuing to use what “worked” in print media or even junk mail. Mr Suit might not be “comfortable” but the people who shop in your store will be.

Please note I am NOT Anti-Chain – I keep WANTING to buy things but if the local stores Chain or Indie, who employ my neighbors and thus are worth supporting continue to eliminate better products

Many Indie’s could use some help as well, but few can afford the services of “professional marketing” so we will cut’em some slack.

Want My Money?

Give me a Newsletter I can read, and quality products and often as not, coupon or not, many like me will buy something and more than one item.

At least then I won’t have to keep opening wholesale accounts and offer these products through my own e-commerce site because I REFUSE to wait 10-14 days for the Chain fulfillers to be me the product.

Wheat

P.S, My thanks to Mike Harnett of Creative Leisure News and Margot Potter for their permission to quote.

P.S.Jr. I am working on taking my own advice – July will be work on a newsletter for our E-tail store

P.S.III – Note to Philadelphia Lawyers and thier friends, NO ONE PAID me to write this – in fact it will probably end up costing me money.







Help Stop The Orphan Works Act NOW

May 28th, 2008 at 16:59 pm » Comments (1)

All members of the creative community, not just the designers, teachers, and pattern authors by hoping you will help them their livlihood

But also YOU the wonderful people who use thier patterns, charts and instructional materials will be the losers. if the Orphan Works is allowed to pass.

We are not asking for money, but…

Right now members of the Pattern & Design community desperately need your help.

If you respect the wonderful contributions made by all the designers, teachers, author and members have made to your life as a knitter or other user of yarns.

If you have ever benefited from the information so freely and generously shared by authors and others in groups or on websites or blogs or in one of the “along” projects,

If you have ever used a pattern and then enjoyed your personal use or the pleasure it gave someone you cared about as a gift,

If you SELL Patterns either as a Self Publisher or as a Retailer

Then please consider taking the time to help all members of the Design & Pattern Authoring community to

DEFEAT THE ORPHAN WORKS ACT

This is legislation currently pending (and headed for the floor) in both houses of Congress.

It is called the Orphan Works Act and its effect on the ability of a Designer to have reasonable protection for just fruits of their labor for your use and enjoyment will be devastating.

Please visit the newly created information site:
Orphan Works Opposition Headquarters
http://www.owoh.org

If you want those who work so hard to create new and interesting projects for you to be able to continue, then you need to take the time to let you Congress Critters in both houses know that if someone steals your red car and paints it blue, it is STILL a stolen vehicle and the owner deserves to get it back and to be compensated if it is mis-used.

Call their LOCAL offices, Send a letter, A postcard,

TELL THEM VOTE NO for the ORPHAN WORKS ACTS -

Then write about it in your blog with links to
Orphan Works Opposition Headquarters
http://www.owoh.org

Use the links from OWOH to send email via CapWiz so we can track the numbers sent.

And we really need you to do it this week or sooner

Please make the time, it is such a small but important act that will help someone you appreciate continue to creatively provide patterns and instructions for you. .

Wheat

Don’t Let Congress Kill Creativity -
Help Stop the ORPHAN WORKS BILL -
ACT NOW – Visit: http://www.owoh.org







The Orphans Work Act MUST BE STOPPED

May 9th, 2008 at 09:29 am » Comments (0)

Often times I find things written exactly as I wish I could:

This is one of those, although well mixed with, MMOG I wish it weren’t so important, but it is

Help yourself, help your future, and help keep the business of quality design alive:

>>>

Hi Everyone,

Most of you know that the 2008 versions of the Orphan Works legislation which were introduced by both the House and the Senate on April 25th have been fast tracked. The IP subcommittee of the House met to mark up the bill this afternoon, and the Senate subcommittee will be meeting tomorrow morning. The art licensing community is strongly opposed to the bills because we are extremely concerned about losing our ability to earn a living by licensing our work for commercial use– which is what we believe will happen if this legislation passes.

If enacted, this legislation will basically allow anyone to use a design after a ‘reasonable search’– without the copyright holder’s permission. Even if the copyright holder objects, he has no recourse because the bill eliminates the statutory damages that currently prevent rampant infringement. The bill further requires copyright holders to register their work on a digital database system that does not currently exist. Yet the bill will be enacted whether or not these databases­and the technology needed to effectively search them­ever come into existence. It is a very serious situation for all visual artists­ designers, photographers, illustrators, and painters­ as well as the manufacturers who license and use our work.

Attached to this e-mail are pdfs detailing the objections to the bills (one for the House version, one for the Senate version). I’ve also included a letter I sent to my Congressman, Ric Keller, along with some background information about the Art Licensing industry. Time is of the essence­ we need to let people know about the devastating consequences this legislation could have for us ­and we need to do it NOW.

Take Action: Don’t Let Congress Orphan Our Work
2 minutes is all it takes to write Congress and protect your copyright: Just click on the link below, put in your zip code and it will automatically bring up the e-dresses of your congressional leaders.

http://capwiz.com/illustratorspartnership/home/

Thanks for taking action! Together we can make a difference.

Best wishes,
Joanne

PS Feel free to forward this message.

________________

Joanne Fink
Lakeside Design
345 Eden Trail
Lake Mary, FL 32746

407-330-4465
407-330-0778 fax

joanne@lakeside-design.com
www.lakeside-design.com

PDF with additional information”

Art Licensing Industry Background

OW Letter – Congressman Keller

PRIMARY Ojbections to HR 5889

PRIMARY Objections to S 2913







ZenCart! The Fix

April 1st, 2008 at 13:05 pm » Comments (0)

Expect for the part where I was the FOOL or at least the Ignorant Blonde….

This is not an April Fool’s story.
Based on information provided in this thread, in the ZenCart Support Forum

Although I really liked the idea from PaulM of the Netherlands, I was pretty convinced that it was going to be necessary to “start over”. zen-paulm-netherlands.png

However, after searching around the Community support forums, I found this seemingly unrelated thread from

It “seemed” to me, that IF the problem was in fact the Product ID numbering,

Then IF I could reset Product ID’s and then Reload using Lessons Learning to avoid a repeat of the error again….

It was worth a try. The worst that could happen is I would have to “start over” and that was already a “real” possibility.

I am happy to say that it does seem to have worked and I will now be spending the next few days, rethinking my product ID numbering plans, and using Easy Populate to Reload.

Still VERY VERY annoyed over the lack of information that could have helped me to avoid the problem in the first place – NOT with ZenCart – learning curves are part of the package when you choose Open Source.

BUT we purchased Easy Populate Advanced JUST to avoid the problems of “no documentation”. More about that another day, for now, my recommendation is DON”T Buy it if you are doing so with an expectation of Support beyond excuses for why no support has been forthcoming.

My thanks to the folks in the forum, who have been so helpful. Guess I need to buy some coffee this week for the Zen Team







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