My old maker profile has been used as an example of what not to do. Oh dear! Constructive criticism always welcomed, slightly unhappy about comment in capital letters after mention of my Mum though, but hey ho, onwards and upwards as they say. Liz
Constructive criticism is good if you ask for it, but if your profile was used as an example without your permission then you have every right to be upset. Can you ask for it to be edited out of wherever it has been done?
Agreed, you definitely should have been asked for permission before the article was published; even though the examples are anonymous you recognise your own words and others might too.
Do you know what - I liked the mention of your Mum - shows what I know! I though it showed personality and I liked the mention of family x
Hi, thanks for your responses. Iām feeling a bit better about it now and Iāll try and forget about it. Thanks again. Liz.
The thing is, that is one personās opinion on how a profile should be written. Some people like one style, some people like another. That person isnāt the gospel on writing profiles - I think itās better to write what youāre comfy with, and what is true to you. Donāt let them bug you (although I still think you should ask for the section with your bit in to be removed).
Its one persons opinion if you were happy with it then leave it. Still think its wrong for them to use it without asking tho.
I wouldnāt beat yourself up about what Folksy thinks about your profile. This is supposed to be a site for individual sellers, and if we all posted āperfectā profiles the site would lose something of its charm and also its honesty and would just look like any old corporate entity. Actually Iām really surprised I wasnāt pulled out before the rest of the class for this! My photos have been panned in the past
Itās not what Folksy thinks, itās what another Folksy user thinks and I think itās highly rude! Look at the thread āHow to write your maker profileā.
I hadnāt seent his article before and had a look at it.
I would be unhappy about it too.
This is a wesbite which has lots of newcomers - people are trying things out for the first time - she shouldn;t have used anybody as examples.
The person who did the write up doesnāt even sell on here - if you read through to the end of her article itās basically an advert for her, saying that if you can;t write your own profile sheāll do it for you for Ā£50. So really she is just spamming.
Your profile is fine Liz and I think that was really mean of her to single it out.
Gosh that is rude! And very presumptuous too!!
Golly, I bet she wouldnāt like my profile, either,then. If I remember rightly, it starts off with something like "Iām a normal mum doing what normal mums doā¦I even mention nagging the kids to tidy their rooms! I think it depicts me perfectly and I am a person, after all, not a corporate entity. You are quite right to be upset, using your profile like that is just not on. How dare she?
Using your profile like that is not on, itās just her opinion. I like profiles that mention family, it makes the seller seem more human, rather than a corporate machine which is exactly what Iām trying to avoid by buying handmade.
Not very impressed with this comment on her blog
āIt screams amateur and donāt talk about your disabilities either, people fear you will be unreliableā
She needs to be careful making statements like that why would anyone with disabilities be more āunreliableā than anyone else?
If your words have been used without permission, I think an apology is in order. The author should have invented examples to make her point.
I totally agree. I am disabled and yet have held supervisory positions in my previous two jobs (left the first of my own accord after 7 years and was made redundant from the last after 11 years) and now sell online plus have two part time jobs. I have also been doing my craft for nearly 40 years! So yeah, I guess that does make me unreliable
Hi everyone I am the she that you are all criticising I would have responded sooner but I did not see this post. Someone has just very kindly told me about it as they thought I might like to respond.
I understand where you are all coming from. Using a section of someoneās profile without asking their permission seems unfair especially if you are critical of the way itās writen. I would not like it if it happened to me.
However I took care with the examples I used not to identify anyone. To make examples of profiles up would invalidate what I wanted to say. It would also look as if I was making fun of craftspeople in general and most would feel well no one does that when they do. It is in the public domain, I do not need to ask permission.
This is the exchange in the comments on publication of the piece
HANDKNITWOMAN January 14, 2015 at 2:46 pm
Hi, Iāve been thinking about changing my profile. After seeing mine being used here as an example of what not to do, I certainly will have to! Liz
DIXIE NICHOLS January 14, 2015 at 4:50 pm
Liz I tried to hide identities but you have outed yourself. If you want any help tell me and I will help you (for free)"
Liz did not ask me to remove anything nor did she reply to my comment.
I am going to post this bit then come back to the other issues raised Please consider me still in the witness box