Call for Entries - Protective Ornament

by Robyn Hawk on March 2, 2010

Submissions sought for book Protective Ornament: From Amulet to Armor, written by Suzanne Ramljak, editor of Metalsmith, to be
published by Schiffer Books in 2011.
Seeking jewelry and metalwork for forthcoming book addressing
the theme of bodily protection and the safeguarding function of
ornament.
Artists are encouraged to submit innovative examples of amulets, helmets, hatpins, brass knuckles, breastplates, aggressive or defensive jewelry, and protective gear.
For initial consideration, please send low-resolution image files or Web links, along with descriptive information to [editor at snagmetalsmith dot org].
(Those selected for publication will require high-resolution images.)
Deadline for submission: April 30th, 2010.
Photo: Nancy Worden’s jewelry armor for women warriors.

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Twitter Search…I’m in love all over again!

by Robyn Hawk on January 9, 2010

Follow Tucson_Gem_Show on Twitter

OK - so in my last post I was pretty mad at what I thought were the reasons I was not showing in Twitter Search!!!!


I should have known better…Twitter is about the conversation, the organic, the learning as we go along. Not arbitrarily putting rules in place that we can’t help but break!

The lesson learned is something I preach all the time - do not fall for those apps that say they want to put advertising between your tweets - do not sign up for an automated follow program - and above all do not fall for a program that will get you 100 followers a day…they won’t be “your” followers and won’t be interested in what you have to say!

The easiest way to dump all the automation is change your password!!!

How do you restore your account? Go to http://twitter.zendesk.com/requests/new and submit a ticket, (thanks to Anita @ModelSupplies ) and if it doesn’t work - my first ticket got no response - try again. The last ticket got a 24 hour response and the person worked with me to get multiple accounts back up!

So - this is what the problem was…

Please review our Automation Rules and Best Practices: http://help.twitter.com/forums/10711/entries/76915
Looks like at some point you were posting automated ads, which are not allowed. Ads are not allowed at all on accounts that are otherwise mostly run by automated feeds.

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Twitter Search - You are making us break the rules!

by Robyn Hawk on December 30, 2009

image from Twitter Icon Factory: http://twittericonfactory.com/

Are you showing up in Twitter Search?

I think you would be surprised to find out that several of you ARE NOT showing up in Search.

Which, of course, means that your tweets are not being aggregated by search engines and if you are using “keywords” as your Twitter username - you aren’t coming up when people search those words. Sorta defeats the purpose of using “keywords” instead of your “real” name.

1. Search your user name at http://search.twitter.com You should see YOUR tweets as well as tweets directed to you…

2. Search your user name here http://twitter.com/search/users This is the search on the Twitter page that allows people to find users

OR on your desktop app - type “From:yourusername” in the Search bar

Did you check - are you showing up in search? I’m NOT!

BTW - this also means your hashtags don’t show in Search, thus your posts don’t show in TweetChat so it becomes very difficult to participate in the many great chat groups on Twitter!

Let me tell you why…I was a fairly early adopter on Twitter and there were no rules at the beginning - spammers found Twitter and rules were put in place.

These are the specific rules that I am breaking and why I will NEVER be searchable UNLESS…I can grow a group of Twitterers that has enough “juice” to change the rules!!!!

From Twitter’s Support page - I engage in “aggressive behaviors”. Specifically the italicized ones:
——————————————-
The Twitter Rules explain what behaviors are permitted on Twitter. In addition to these rules, we’ve included some tips below to keep your content relevant (and listed in Twitter search). We caution against aggressive behaviors and suggest that you stay away from:

> Repeatedly posting duplicate or near-duplicate content (links or tweets)
> Abusing trending topics or hashtags (topic words with a # sign)
> Sending automated tweets or replies
> Using bots or applications to post similar messages based on keywords
> Posting similar messages over multiple accounts
> Aggressively following and un-following people

Twitter may automatically remove accounts engaging in these behaviors from search (or even suspend in some cases) in order to ensure the best experience for everyone.

Excerpt from: http://help.twitter.com/forums/10713/entries/42646
——————————————-

So why and how am I abusing these rules?

1. Repeatedly posting duplicate or near-duplicate content (links or tweets)
When I first started Twittering I saw the benefit of using Twitter to bring people with me to the events I attend - I “Live Tweet” Events! My “username” disappeared from Search following the Tucson Gem Show (Feb. 2009) However, from my followers who are for the most part in the same Gem & Jewelry Industry “Niche” the response was great!

2. Posting similar messages over multiple accounts
So - to combat the fact that I was no longer showing up in Search - I decided I would start a second account that was geared to only that very narrow niche…and as you would guess - I now needed to migrate the people who were interested in that event to this new account…cross posting ensued!

3. Aggressively following and un-following people
Because I use a Seesmic Desktop app I tend to not check my follower stats - I do follow and unfollow from my app occasionally but about once a month I check in on my Twitter home page and go through my followers list to weed out the porn chicks and spammers and to follow my new (20 - 50) followers, which could be considered aggressive.

There are posts all over the internet about this topic but as soon as someone posts a fix - Twitter gets so inundated that they change the procedure - examples: http://modelsupplies.wordpress.com/2009/07/07/help-i-dont-show-up-in-twitter-search/
http://addicted-to-squidoo.blogspot.com/2009/06/i-am-having-problems-with-my.html

My personal thoughts on this is - your followers should decide if you are a Spammer not Twitter! If your followers think you are tweeting aggressively - they WILL unfollow you! But isn’t that where the decision should be made?

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Protecting Your Ideas in a Digital World…

by Robyn Hawk on December 8, 2009


If you follow me on Facebook or Twitter you know by now that one of my heroes/mentors is Seth Godin. Today his blog post was so important and rang so true for me that instead of writing a post I am directing you to his blog.

Seth’s Blog : How to protect your ideas in the digital age

If we’re in the idea business, how to protect those ideas?

One way is to misuse trademark law. With the help of search engines, greedy lawyers who charge by the letter are busy sending claim letters to anyone who even comes close to using a word or phrase they believe their client ‘owns’. News flash: trademark law is designed to make it clear whomakes a good or a service. It’s a mark we put on something we create to indicate the source of the thing, not the inventor of a word or even a symbol. They didn’t invent trademark law to prevent me from…

Please FOLLOW THIS LINK for more.

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The Conversation Prism

by Robyn Hawk on December 1, 2009

The Conversation Prism by Brian Solis and Jesse Thomas


“Using the Conversation Prism , we can visualize and map the shifting landscape of social networks and micro communities to observe and conduct our initial fieldwork through digital anthropology. The process reveals everything, from measurement opportunities to participation strategies to the specific infrastructure changes necessitated by the new proactive and reactive process of engagement in the social Web.”

Thanks to the hard work and vision of Brian Solis and Jesse Thomas for their Conversation Prism. more at: http://theconversationprism.com/blog/

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Can Jewelers Use Social Media? YES!

by Robyn Hawk on November 26, 2009


This is such a huge presence today and I know that a lot of people are looking for a couple components to add Social Media to their traditional advertising and PR programs.

But which ones? I think that depends on the time and effort you want to spend on learning different platforms - or on the person you want to reach.
I recently attended (from my couch ;-p ) a webinar that was hosted by the Women’s Jewelry Association (WJA). “Social Media for Jewelers” by Cindy Edelstein (of the Jeweler’s Resource Bureau) was informative…didn’t confuse the issue…and if you see Cindy booked to give this talk - get there! She is THE go - to gal in the Jewelry Industry and has the ability to simplify and relate what could be a complicated subject.
My take away from the talk was - don’t try to be on every platform…pick a few and concentrate on them.
So we are going to spend a little time looking at some of the more popular Social Networks and what they can do for you as Jewelers.

Facebook - This is probably one of the easiest platforms to use and can put your product in front of lots of eyes. Most companies that came onto FB over the last few years are discovering (some the hard way) that businesses are not allowed to have FB pages…until now. A few years ago Facebook introduced Fan Pages. Unlike the personal pages where you have friends - businesses
on Facebook have “Fans”.

Twitter - If Facebook is the noun - Twitter is the verb…on FB you can tell the story of your business, your history, etc. Twitter is about what you DO - and more importantly what you are doing - this is what you tweet about. Meet a new designer
at our New Artists trunk show - saw the most beautiful sunset - new design line to be introduced - reading a blog about conflict gold, do you know where your gold comes from? you get the drift.

MySpace - I am not as quick to write off MySpace as most - it is still a cool hangout if you are in the entertainment field (especially music or comedy). But I see it more as the Facebook of the music scene. What does that mean to you as jeweler? Musicians and their fans have always been trend setters and trend seekers. If you make a line of jewelry that appeals to the Goth or “Twilight” crowd - it could work for you.

LinkedIn - while this was at one time - just a place you went when looking for a job - this site has come into it’s own. A recent change that allows you to add your Twitter feed to your LinkedIn profile says something about the future direction of this site.
Short Blasts with photo capability - both Posterous and Tumbler allow you to post by email and the nice thing here is that you can also post a photo. This makes these sites attractive to jewelers and fashionistas…they can be great opinion sites.
…so - go ahead and get your toes wet…register for a couple of the social sites and lurk - follow your competitors and see how they are using it - this could be just that little push your business needs!

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Now your PDA is your most valuable bench assistant !

by Robyn Hawk on November 21, 2009


“iMakeJewelry” for the Apple iPhone !


Finally, for those of us who simply cannot live without their iPhones anymore, there now is an app made just for us: Crafthaus member Victoria Lansford announces the release of “iMakeJewelry” for the Apple iPhone !

Product description:
iMakeJewelry is the ultimate app for jewelers and metalsmiths. Use it to check precious metal prices, calculate sheet, wire and wax weights, ring blank lengths, find alloy recipes and information on stones. Use it to calculate weight conversions from wax to metal or silver to gold and convert weight and area measurements from English to metric. Also included are tables for drill bit sizes and B&S gauges. Watch for frequent tips from Victoria Lansford.

Compatible with iPhone and IPod Touch. Requires iPhone OS 3.1.2 or later.

Cost is US$3.99. Available exclusively through the Apple iPhone App Store or from the iTunes Store.

Now your most valuable personal digital assistant is also your most valuable bench assistant !



Victoria Lansford
Artist, metalsmith, educator, and author of instructional books and DVDs.

For questions and comments, please contact Victoria via crafthaus:
http://crafthaus.ning.com/profile/VictoriaLansford

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The Ultimate Design Contest

by Robyn Hawk on October 30, 2009

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Chris Brogan Talks About "Overnight Success"…

by Robyn Hawk on October 30, 2009



You can hear it in his
voice - the tired but
dedicated Chris Brogan.

If you are just getting into
the Social Media sphere
you need to read his
book “Trust Agents”

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Overture Magazine - Call for Entry - Deadline January 1 2010

by Robyn Hawk on October 8, 2009

Overture Magazine - Deadline January 1 2010
Visual Overture Magazine selects 7 emerging artists for publication each quarter. Selected artists are presented on a two-page spread with images of their work, interview questions, artist statement, and contact details. Artists displayed in Visual Overture benefit from our highly targeted distribution list consisting of 200+ galleries, curators, collectors, and a growing subscription readership. In addition, each selected artist receives 3 complimentary copies of the issue in which they are featured.
Emerging professional artists working in any media 18 years and older may submit to the Visual Overture Magazine juried competition. An emerging professional artist is defined as a person who is not currently enrolled in any undergraduate courses, and is consistently working to establish a career in the visual arts field.
Accepted Genres: Sculpture, Metals, Textiles, Photography, Mixed media, Painting, Drawing, Video art, Digital art, Printmaking, and Installations.
Deadline: January 1, 2010
Enter online: www.visualoverture.webs.com/artists.htm

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