CranberryCloud Laurel Martin

Last week Becky commented that I should be careful not to get computer apnea.   In other words, be careful to breathe when you’re on your computer.  Ha-Ha, what silliness thought I.  Yesterday I ventured onto the Etsy forums.  I’ve read some of the forums before but never participated.  It was time for me to enter the critique section and see what veteran sellers had to say about my new shop. So I went to the critique section and typed in “Please critique my new store”.  Seems logical right?  For anyone who hasn’t been on Etsy, you need to understand that there are thousands upon thousand of buyers and sellers.  IT’S HUGE!  So I type in my little request and in seconds there’s another after it and another and within a minute I’m half way down the page. What’s more  the people after me have responses, not just one or two, but some have THOUSANDS.  Then I notice another newbie who had asked for a critique type in “WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO DO TO GET A CRITIQUE AROUND HERE!!!.  That got a response.  I tried again.  Newbie Needs Critique!  I got a response.  Yeah!  My heart was starting to race.  I quickly read the advice and typed a thank-you post.  Then I noticed my post, which had dropped off page one was now back at the front.  Some kind of great glitch,  I thought.  Then low and behold, being back at the front, I got another response!  Great advice, so I posted another thank-you.  Wow I was back at the top again!  So that’s how it works!  Every time I type on my own thread I’m back at the top.  I also realized that if I responded to other critiques this would perhaps make others inclined to reciprocate. Soon I was manically, responding critique requests and responding to my critiques and bouncing my thread to the top. Kind of like Wack-A-Mole, only your hitting your avatar up instead of a mole down.  My heart was racing. I typed furiously.  Breathing?  Forget it!  Soon two hours had gone by and I had to leave.  My head hurt as well as my eyes!  Then I remembered Becky’s comment.  OH NO!, I’m getting computer apnea!  But it is fun.

So Becky gives good advice.  She's also very talented as you can see by this amazing cat picture she just put on her blog.  You can see her amazing art here: www.canadianafterthought.tumblr.com