What exactly is byhand.me?
Handmade items, handmade artisans, handmade code, handmade friendships. This is the revolution of the handmade playground. It starts with a simple guy, Adam, also known on etsy and artfire as infivision. He decided he wanted a better social experience to promote handmade. While ning offers this to some extent, he felt it was too generic and has a poor user interface. In a quest for something better he developed http://byhand.me. Designed and created in under a week, ByHand serves as a free artisan co-op for those who make handmade and those who buy handmade. Here's a run down of what you can expect from the site:
- Artisan Directory
- Spotlights
- Forums
- Member Blogs
- Social Networking
- Chat
- Private Messaging
- RSS Feeds
- Handmade Wishlists
- Clubhouses
- Trading Manager
- And more..
Additionally, ByHand.me is a non-profit community. All funds received from ad revenue are spent on ads to promote the ByHand community. ByHand actively advertises to both artists and buyers.
A note about security warnings.
Having trouble with Internet Explorer warnings about mixed content? No problem! To keep all your information secure when transferring information to our site, we use SSL encryption. You can verify this by seeing the https in the URL. We also use images from outside sources in our blogs, and in some of the features we provide, like Project Wonderful ads, and the ArtFire Item of the Hour, and our Spotlights feature. This mixture of unsecured content, along with our high level of security causes Internet Explorer, and some times even Firefox to display warnings about this issue. Luckily, there is a solution.
To allow mixed content in Internet Explorer:
In Internet Explorer, click the Tools button, and then click Internet Options.
Click the Security tab, and then click the Custom Level button.
In the Security Settings dialog box, scroll to the Display mixed content setting in the Miscellaneous section, and then click Enable.
Click OK in the Security Settings dialog box, and then click OK to exit Internet Options.
What are wishlists?
ByHand.me allows you to create a wishlist of items from a multitude of handmade venues including Etsy, ArtFire, 1000Markets, DaWanda, SilkFair, Made It Myself, ShopHandmade, iCraft.ca, WinkElf, Foodzie and Zibbet. A wishlist is many things to many people. It's a great way to keep up with gifts for friends and family, or to compile a list of those must haves for your own indulgences. Our wishlists allow you to keep organized by creating lists of items, allow you to send your wishlists to friends in an email, either as All Items, or just a particular list.
Wishlists are private and remain private unless you choose to share your Wishlist with someone.
To get started with Wishlists, you must first log in. Then select "My Stuff" and click on My Wishlists link. To get started, you'll then click on the Let's Get Started link and follow the instructions there. Wishlists are as easy as clicking a link when viewing a product on any of the supported handmade venues. The products you choose to Wishlist are then added to your Wishlist back on ByHand without ever leaving the page you're on!
Additionally, you can also import all of your Etsy favorites with just one click.
The Artisan Directory is for artists and crafters with a business. Artisans can add their business along with where they sell online, social network profiles, and more. Members can rate and review these shops which helps shops further build their reputation online. Only handmade shops are allowed in the Artisan Directory. Commercial supplies and vintage items are not allowed and will be removed. (Handmade supplies are okay.)
Spotlights allow you to curate 9 items in a gallery format. This allows you to pull items from multiple venues and create what Etsy calls a "treasury" of handpicked items that you'd like to show off to the world. Spotlights never expire, and only are removed when you choose to delete it.
Spotlights work like this:
1. click the "New Spotlight" link under "My Stuff"
2. For the box you want to change, hit the "Edit" link.
3. Select the venue (currently, Etsy, ArtFire, 1000 Markets, Dawanda, SilkFair, Made It Myself, Zibbet, iCraft.ca, WinkElf, Foodize and ShopHandmade)
4. Put in the item id for the item you want to feature. Just visit the URL for the item to obtain it's item id (item ids marked in bold)
- For Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=18410779
- For ArtFire: http://www.artfire.com/modules.php?name=ViewListing&product_id=87439
- For 1000Markets: http://www.1000markets.com/products/8965
- For Dawanda: http://en.dawanda.com/product/194315-Muetze-aus-Baumwolle
- For Silkfair: http://silkfair.com/store/item/156668
- For Made It Myself: http://www.madeitmyself.com/item-detail.aspx?itemid=19026
- Zibbet: http://www.zibbet.com/aMelancholyDwelling/artwork?artworkId=785
- iCraft.ca: http://www.icraft.ca/product-782.php
- WinkElf: http://www.winkelf.com/Texican-Spice,itemname,25379,id,itemdetails
- ShopHandmade: http://www.shophandmade.com/item/6-758-H73BQ5R
- Foodzie: ... foodzie.com/59-Item-Title
5. Hit Enter in the ID field or click the OK
6. Watch the magic spinny thingy do it's job
7. Your item shows up.
Once you fill out all your items, you can drag and drop to rearrange to your hearts content. There are no prices, nor titles, nor artisans listed. This is done to serve a couple purposes. The first is to encourage click throughs. By displaying this information, it is easy for the viewer to decide not to click through based on price alone. We want the viewer to fall in love with your item without an preconceived notions of price. The second is because this is a Spotlight, we want a gallery format that shows off and places the importance on the work of art that is the handmade item. Prices and titles take the focus away from that.
Still having trouble creating a Spotlight? Why not view this short little tutorial?
Looking for the perfect place to gather with friends? Try a Clubhouse! So what's a clubhouse? It's basically a hangout. A group of like minded individuals. Get together with your own PRIVATE forum. Post bulletins letting other members the latest news, or gossip if you are that sort. You can also make your Clubhouse super secret by making it Invite Only. This means that it won't show up on the clubhouse list, and you control who gets in by way of invite. Of course, if you don't want to be that drastic, you can require approval before a member is accepted. Or, just gather everyone by having no membership requirements at all, everyone gets in, no questions asked.
This is especially handy for creating your own small teams where you may just get lost in the larger ones at your selling venues. Maybe you just want to create a group for Moms of Siberian Huskies or something. It's all up to you to decide.
The Forums are where users can chat about handmade, ask for advice, promote shops, or just kick it! Have a question about a new technique you heard about? Are you a buyer looking for a handmade craft? This is the place!
All members also receive their own blog. Member Blog entries are placed in the Community Blog for crafters and buyers alike to read and enjoy. Buyers can review products or make recommendations on their blogs or share artist interviews, while artists can promote their craft, selling tips, tutorials, run contests, and more. Members can also choose to have their blog entries posted to the front page of ByHand. Everyone can help promote handmade by taking part in this vital section of the community. If you are new to blogging, you may want to check out our guide to blogging. Also, please be sure you've read the TOU regarding blogging to the front page to avoid having your entry removed to only the community blog.
Please note that repeatedly posting blog entries promotional material to the front page for the purpose of bumping yourself up is prohibited. Posting about your work, sales and contests is fine, however please do not post the same deals more than once before their expiration. Also, front page blog entries should consist of several paragraphs. Short one paragraph entries and one liners will be removed from the front page.
Please use our Help forum if you need additional assistance. Here are a few help topics already in place:
How to insert an image or use html on your blog
How to insert a live link on your blog entry
The social features of this site allow you to connect with other members of ByHand through all the various sections of the site. Any time you see a profile that you would like to connect with, just click on them. You can then go to the connections menu of their profile and select "Request Connection". It's that simple! Members even choose the type of connection they want to make, whether they be a customer, a favorite artisan, or a favorite supplier. Members can even make notes on connections to help remind them that they want to shop with artisan A for a gift for dad or reconnect with an artisan B later for future, joint promotion!
Chat allows members to communicate in real time with other members of the ByHand community.
The private messaging function allows members to send messages back and forth to other community members. Safer than giving out an email address for making those first time connections. This is great for buyers and sellers to connect on custom projects and more. The private message system also keeps a handy "address book" of your connections so you get a quick pick list. This is great for keeping in touch with those you are interested in.
Additionally, RSS feeds can be added to all member profiles. Add up to five feeds. Include the feed for personal or favorite blogs or an online shop! For example, sellers can add their Etsy shop feed to the RSS feeds in their profiles and other users will see their latest product photos and content just by mousing over the feed!
All members also receive their very own memorable URL for both their profile and their blog. These URLs can be viewed from your profile page. Sellers can utilize this URL to promote their businesses! A byhand.me URL is much more professional than a simple blogspot.com or ning.com address, giving users who aren't technically savvy a great way to direct folks to ALL their online selling venues without having to buy their own domain.
CreatNTrade is ByHand's Trading Manager. Use CreatNTrade to list handmade items that you have for trade and make bartering online a whole lot easier! Make requests for what types of items you'd like to trade for when listing. Listing is free, trading is free! CreatNTrade is just another terrific benefit for members of the ByHand community and all registered users can participate. Click here to learn how to make trades.
ByHand Video Tutorials courtesy of Birdy's Knits
You can also help promote ByHand by linking to us! Grab a button here.
Byhand.me is run by a husband and wife team that both are artisans themselves. Feel free to connect with us! http://infivision.byhand.me or http://soapdeli.byhand.me
Press:
Handmade Community at ByHand - Miss Malaprop Blog
Interview with www.byhandme - HeyIFoundThis Blog
Interview with ByHand.me - Creepy Queen Magazine
Leads/Resources ByHand.me - Dolan Geiman Blog
Joining the Handmade Revolution - An Interview with ByHand.me - SilkFair Blog
A wishlist? But it's not even Christmas! - Create & Decorate: The Blog
Made By Hand. By Me - Handmade Chic
