Question about Topics

Ok, since I spent my first year on Squidoo afraid to ask a question in the forums, I am going to swallow hard and ask a question here BEFORE I mess things up :)  (Don't know what I would have done without Team One there :)

Do you think we will have a separate Craft topic at any point or should I post my craft articles under Hobbies and Games? 

Thanks for the help!

I would second the request for Crafts - I may create a separate account as I have done at the other place for my craft related stuff but would love a separate topic too

We'll discuss this with the team, probably by tomorrow. Not everyone is available right now. Please be patient.  

Thank you for your support and imput here Paul!  I think a lot is lost, especially income, when Crafts are relegated to Never, Neverland with Peter Pan :)

We are too easily lost and overlooked.  I know from my own Ebay store that Crafts, craft instructions and kits are still really popular these days. 

Thank you Chef!  I will gladly share my reasons and recommendations if it will help. 

Edited to add:  No problem!  Patience is my middle name :)

chefkeem: 19. Jun 2011, 17:17

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We'll discuss this with the team, probably by tomorrow. Not everyone is available right now. Please be patient.  

Thanks Chef and I am sure Cynthia would come up with a great list of sub - topics

Whilst we are at it could we sneak Tablets into the Computers section as well? :-)

Hello Cynthia Patience,

maybe you could list a few of your desired sub-topics here, so we can compare them with our existing list.

Paul - let me check on those tablets in just a little while.

Oh, that is easy for me and thank you for considering my opinion :) 

Beading & Jewelry Making

Craft Books, Supplies & Organizers

Craft Kits

Crochet, Knitting and other Needlework

Cross Stitch, Embroidery, Plastic Canvas & Other Needlecrafts

Floral Crafts

Kids Crafts

Glass & Mosaic

Leathercraft

Origami & Paper Crafts

Scrapbooking, Stamping & Embossing

Sewing, Quilts & Fabric

Tole Painting

Woodworking

Other Crafts

 Edited to add:  I have looked across the writers here and I believe you have one who would also be interested in a separate Macrame sub-category.  I tried to give you a list that would not leave you with categories that would remain empty for a long period of time.  Two other considerations might be Candlemaking and Soapmaking.  I do believe those could easily fit under "other crafts" right now, unless you have a current writer that I missed who really desires to write a lot of good articles on those subjects. 

Cynthia - I've bolded the ones we don't have. All the other ones, including macrame, candle making and soap making, we have already in there.

Now, I could add all the bolded ones as sub-categories under Hobbies & Games --> Crafts --> ... right now.

Or, you'd have to wait until the team can discuss the feasability of creating a new main category for "Crafts", outside of "Hobbies & Games".

If I remember right, we've set it up this way, so we can have "Arts" and "Crafts" separated for better distinction, but didn't think "Crafts" big enough for its own head category.

Paul, your tablets are now featured under "Computers".

Thank you Chef!  I completely understand and I appreciate your consideration.

Of course I would like to see Crafts have it's own catagory with sub-catagories, but if the team does not believe it would be in Wizzleys best interest, then I will gladly work within the existing catagories under Hobbies & Games. 

I whole-heartedly agree with your prior decision to separate Crafts from Arts and I completely trust your decision now.

I will say that I stopped writing craft lenses myself because I felt they were lost under Arts & Designs on the "other" site :)  I can't help but wonder how many other crafters felt exactly the same way and reacted exactly the same way.   There were other concerns there too which I would gladly share privately if you wish.

Hi my mouse friend....I too asked for a Crafts section a bit ago :)  I do believe that I wouldn't have put my gourd craft into Art if we would have had a seperate section.  Sometimes things don't feel right in hobbies and games, and sometimes people don't even look at subcategories.

Yes, I could write some craft articles much faster than I do some other ones :) 

LOL Kathy!  I know exactly what you mean! 

Thank you for adding your comments and thoughts to this discussion.  You also have fabulous dreamcatchers that I think would be awesome to see offered in crafts.  So many people would like to be able to duplicate that gorgeous craft, even if theirs wouldn't be authenic :)

Mouse...I also would put up there some of my driftwood carvings, a few things on kids crafts I did with kids...(I have 2 great ones for handprints)...and hey the ideas are unlimited.  I have been thinking of doing a Squidoo lens on my horseshoe crafts....but it's easier to write on here :)

I happen to agree with you, which is why I rendered this question/request. 

I have several crafts myself that I would like to promote, but I want to make sure that I have selected the right place to do so.  (I have no hidden meaning in that statement)

As a crafter, I don't want to have to search a site for the "crafts" topic before I can begin looking at actual crafts.  I honestly do believe that is how we have been so lost in the past.  Our work is under Arts & Designs and then "crafts" is listed at the bottom of the page, not even in the right hand column of that categories sub-categories.  If you are not familiar with a site, you are clueless were to look. 

As a writer, craft articles, especially good tutorials, take to long to write to waste them when they will not be easily found.  There really is a lot of money to be made with properly presented kits, patterns, supplies etc.  

Well, as I said before, the entire team is currently not available. But I've discussed this issue with Ron Passfiled. He did the initial keyword research on our categories and then designed the basic layout. When we began to refine our category and sub-category pages, our German developers urged us to keep the top categories to a fairly limited number and rather expand on our sub- and sub/sub-categories. (We're going 3 levels deep.)

So, Ron and I came up with this suggestion:

We'll add the word "Crafts" to our top category "Hobbies & Games" (Hobbies, Games & Crafts) so it will be featured on the category front page. From there, a visitor can click on "Crafts" in the right side bar and easily access all the sub/sub-categories.

At the same time, I'll add all the bolded topics from Cynthia's above post to the list of sub-categories under "Crafts".

It's a bit iffy to create a whole new top category "Crafts", because of the already existing content. But I think my suggestion is a pretty good compromise. 

Does this sound okay to you?

Awesome!  Thank you Chef! 

You and Ron are both Most Excellent! 

I also appreciate you taking the time to explain your decision.  It was never lost on me that I do not know all of the reasons behind why catagories are set the way they are.  I just assumed that website designers are not familiar enough with all categories to always know the best way to present them.  I apologize to you both for not recognizing there is truly more behind those decisions.

I do believe you have presented an excellent plan for making craft articles easier to find.  Now we just have to write those articles and make money for all us.  I am hoping that we will shock the socks right off of everyone and show just how worthy "crafts" are of recognition. 

Oh, and bless your heart for still being awake and working with us!

I am sure you already know that Kathy and I can easily chat the night away without any assistance.  

LOL Cynthia...so does that mean I have to actually get started on my Crafts articles :)  OK, will start right after I finish the Title of Old Wives' Tales I picked from the thread here in the forum :)

@Chef...that sounds like a very good compromize.. the ability to see them on the front page is also good :)  Thank you to both you and Ron.  Like our Mouse friend, sometimes I don't even think of why something is as it is :)

We sure can....and while we're chatting...do you remember any old wives tales LOL...I am stuck on American ones that don't have to do with pregnancy....of course this isn't craft related, but once I finish this, I can do my horseshoes one :)

Oh, you mean like carrying a boy in the back and a girl in the front?  That is how my grandmother could always tell the sex of a child before birth :)