Ok, I know that there has been a huge brouhaha over votehandmade.com. I *could* very easily post their official press release and smile and nod my head.
But.
I have a conscience. I can't do that.
What I can do is give you my honest opinion.
I like the site, for the most part. It's clean, simple to use, fun to add links, fun to watch your added things get votes.
What I don't like is that some of my posted things refuse to show pictures, even though the listing has a picture. I've tried to show it off twice, and it just flat refuses to show a picture.
That is just a minor thing though. My biggest beef is one which is echoed by my friends and fellow ArtFire artisans.
The downvotes.
I will grant you that some of the downvotes may simply be because the voter truly does not like the product.
I don't think that is the case all of the time, though.
It affects mainly people in the jewelry category, but I've recently seen it take a dip into novelty and housewares.
It seems that ArtFire links are being singled out and downvoted by a LOT of people.
This truly saddens me. Not for the artisans, not for the products themselves (some of which are truly genius and works of art), but for the people targeting ArtFire links and downvoting them.
It could be two things.
One, is that it could be a competitor, trying to make their product look better.
Two, it could be someone from another venue trying to smear ArtFire.
These people never leave critisim. Ever. They just downvote and slink off.
They need to know that their own karma will drop, and their votes won't count anymore.
Secondly, they need to know that I feel sorry for them. Do they think their own work is so inferior that they must downgrade someone else's work just to make themselves feel better? Are they trying to make a point about ArtFire?
I'm not a big fan of other sites, especially the ones that charge listing fees, that's why I'm on ArtFire to begin with, but seriously. I don't go around downvoting 1000markets listings or etsy listings.
If I don't like what they show, I just move on. It is better for me, and better for the lister to keep my mouth shut. If I have knowledge that may benefit them, I leave a comment...to help them improve.
I don't downvote.
In closing, I want to let the downvoters know that I truly feel sorry for them, and want to help them enjoy what they have to offer the handmade community. If there is anything I could do to improve their self esteem, I would.
They don't anger me, they sadden me. I wish I could hug them to brighten their day, so they can see the bright side of handmade, even if it comes from a venue they don't like.
