Something’s missing right now

Hello, everyone

I’ve been on vacation for a while, and before that, I didn’t have time to read along regularly.
It’s really striking to me right now that while the contests—whether organized by different users or by the site itself—are very well received and generate a lot of posts,
the learning discussions—where we used to talk about technical aspects, crochet techniques, tips and tricks, helpful advice, and the like—have unfortunately almost completely disappeared.
Has the demand for these topics waned, or are you simply no longer interested in them?
I think all these contests are really great; I just think a mix of contests and technical posts would be really good.
If I’m the only one who feels this way, then that’s fine, of course.

Sunny regards
Sidney

I’ve noticed that too—and of course, I’m not exempt from the competition craze myself.

But discussions “outside of the competition” hardly ever happen.

Idea: Let’s change that. Right now :-)

Do you have any questions, suggestions, or ideas?

Oh, nice, I’m not the only one :-) I’m currently reading through all the posts from the past month or two and commenting on everything I have something to say about. I’ve always liked those threads where you can learn something best.

Dear Sidney,
Dear Petra,

to give this a bit more pep: we’re happy to recommend interesting topics in our newsletter, on Facebook, and other social media. That could be especially interesting for our sellers!

Best regards
Alexander

Hi Alexander,

that’s nice of you to welcome my idea so warmly. I’ve found a lovely topic and will start a thread about it.
It won’t be enough to make it into the newsletter, but I like it.

See you in a bit
Sidney

I see the main problem here in the forum as being that it’s almost exclusively filled with sellers. With a few exceptions, you hardly see any buyers. That’s why discussions about techniques and the like rarely come up. There are plenty of forums where buyers gather and exchange ideas. That rarely happens on sales platforms.
And even if buyers were to participate by asking questions, who would answer them all?
I have to admit, I wouldn’t have the time for that. Especially since there would hardly be any questions that couldn’t be answered via Google or the countless other forums.
I don’t think we need yet another forum like this. A communication space for sellers, yes, but not a forum in the traditional sense.

When I look at the older posts, I understand what Sidney means. There used to be more customers hanging out here in the beginning. Maybe with all the seller chatter about platform contests and internal matters, they got the impression that this is a sellers' forum.

As someone who isn’t a seller, I feel rather discouraged by such words and not encouraged to participate.
I really thought this was a forum where you could discuss everything related to knitting, crocheting, sewing, and crafts—not just the topics Haekelkeks mentioned.

My post was in response to Haekelkeks’s post; I only just discovered Osaki’s post. Thank you for your kind words, Osaki.

I didn’t mean to discourage you, but why sugarcoat things when the reality is different?
CP has acquired tens of thousands of buyers (hopefully that’s spelled right). A handful of them have actively found their way to the forum—that’s the reality.
The next reality is that CP isn’t a “personal” platform. Basically, everything here happens quite anonymously. Contact between buyers and sellers is, in principle, very rare. I’ll go out on a limb and say that many customers here only buy because it’s cheaper via the prepaid account than elsewhere. The rest doesn’t matter to the buyer. I have many buyers here who used to buy from me on Dawanda.
Maybe Alexander has some payment statistics for us. What percentage of buyers use prepaid?

For heaven’s sake, I don’t want to discourage you from writing—I’d be happy to be convinced otherwise.
I also don’t want to make myself unpopular with my candid opinions, but I’m just a realist.

Häkelkeks might actually have a point here—crazypatterns is more anonymous than, say, dawanda. On dawanda, I have much more direct contact with my fellow crocheters than I do here. Here, it’s really only when a question about a pattern pops up—on dawanda, a really nice email contact has sometimes simply developed.
But—a few months ago, there was more going on in the forums here beyond just seller-related topics...

Good morning 
I do think this forum is intended for all customers; after all, authors have the authors' section :)
And I think someone will always drop by now and then and may be able to answer one question or another. I’d find it a shame if platform members didn’t start participating more again, asking their questions or sharing their opinions.
As far as I can, I’m happy to answer questions from other members.

Best wishes 

Every platform or forum can feel personal; it just depends on how those interested choose to engage.

If customers here want to participate actively (again), that’s very welcome, because that’s the only way we sellers can stay in touch with our customers. The reality is that more customers used to spend time here in the early days, and the topics were more personal. I’d feel out of place here as a customer right now, too.

Sidney may not be an isolated case, and we can all do our part to make customers feel welcome here again . . .

I’m happy to second that, osaki!

Me too :-)

Hi Johanna,

I’m jumping for joy right now at your words: “We can all help make customers feel welcome here again.”

That sounds great :-)

Best regards
Alexander

Hello everyone,

after the discussion a few days ago and the posts here in this thread and in other threads—which I found very unpleasant and unwelcoming—I actually wanted to leave the forum. I felt out of place and unwelcome here as a non-seller and “just” someone interested in buying. I felt snubbed by these sellers’ comments, which I interpreted as, “You’re welcome to buy our patterns—and in large quantities, of course—but talking to you or answering your questions? Not a chance.”
I’d actually started Googling for other craft forums. But then other posts appeared here in the thread—more welcoming ones with kind words—and after a few days, my frustration subsided a bit. I appreciate this platform because there’s always something new, always something to discover. Until a few months ago, there were also many threads here in the forum that I really liked. Unfortunately, almost all of the users who used to post regularly in the threads from a few months ago are no longer here—or at least that’s how it seems to me. It’s common in forums for users to come and go, leaving only the core group behind. Maybe some or all of those users will find their way back to this forum someday. I’d really like that—there were some very nice people there.

There are lots of nice discussions here and plenty of friendly users, even though I sometimes find the tone a bit off—but I’m not really the type to get involved in online arguments. That’s why I’ve preferred to avoid such discussions whenever possible and just hang out in other threads instead.
I may have approached this a bit naively. I always thought that in craft forums, you’d find like-minded people of all ages. Since we share a common interest, it shouldn’t be hard to have nice conversations. You can do that here, too—at least if you’re patient enough to stick with it. But I’m not really the type to give up easily.

I can’t contribute much in terms of expertise or techniques—I’m still mostly on the asking side. But the last few posts here in this thread give me hope that there’s a place in this forum for people like me, too. I’d really appreciate it if dialogue between sellers and buyers were possible. And I’d also really appreciate it if this strict dividing line in the forum could be softened a bit. Of course, users here are either buyers or sellers, but aren’t we all, every now and then, simply “just” users here in the forum? We don’t always have to reduce people to whether they’re primarily selling or buying—it’s also about our shared interest in the topic. I think if we could sometimes move away from this strict division, it would only benefit the forum. Of course, I realize that sellers here in the forum aren’t just participating for the fun of it—it’s also very much about drawing attention to their own products, attracting customers, conducting market research, developing ideas, and observing other sellers and their ideas. That’s perfectly fine; it’s allowed, and it certainly serves a purpose—something sellers really can’t do without. Still, I’d really appreciate it if, every now and then, a dialogue on equal footing were possible—simply from one craft enthusiast to another. I don’t know if that’s a utopian idea; I’m sure I’ll be able to figure that out from your reactions and feedback on my post.

For now, I’d like to wish you all a restful night’s sleep and a wonderful Sunday.
Sunny regards, Sidney

There are actually always interesting topics here, even for users who don’t sell anything

As I’ve noticed more and more lately, most of the action is taking place in various crafting groups on Facebook… Member counts exceeding 20,000 speak for themselves. Of course, I’m also in a few of them, and I’m there to offer advice and support. I present my new designs and find inspiration there, too.  We also shouldn’t forget that these groups typically have around 800–1,000 free patterns available. Originality and creativity are in higher demand than ever :)  I mostly just read along quietly here because most questions have already been answered… and if I don’t know a better solution, I don’t say anything either.

By the way, I’m proficient in every common needlework technique except bobbin lace and hairpin lace....if anyone has questions, feel free to ask—I’m happy to help :)

Best regards
Margret

Dear Sidney! Anytime and always gladly—I absolutely love to chat, and since I spend a large part of the day in front of the computer, I’m often grateful for a little variety and conversations with like-minded people :)

Best regards, Margret

hello Sidney,

Until a few months ago, I more or less flooded the forum here with all kinds of posts about crafts, or especially about crochet. I was just in a phase where I wanted to learn and know a lot about the subject, so I kept starting lots of topics. Maybe it was too much sometimes. But some really nice discussions kept coming out of it. At some point I stopped this extreme throwing-out of topics, partly because I ran out of topics for the time being and partly because there wasn't that much feedback on them, and, well, I just didn't want to become that typical forum user who always writes something about everything.

But I do think that newcomers read along here and, above all, that there definitely are crochet fans here—crochet is more my thing compared to the other craft techniques, so that's what I focus on. Actively taking part in forums just isn't for everyone; you have to enjoy it. Free time is rare for many people, so as a crochet friend you tend to pick up yarn and a crochet pattern and get started, and only write in the forum when you want to know something because it isn't quite working the way you'd like.

I would really love it if there were a lively community here with consistently lively and interesting discussions, but you can't force that either. Forums need time until they've grown enough and attract enough people who want to exchange ideas about the topic.
So in a year or two, things will surely look different here,
Crazypatterns hasn't been around that long yet,
so you can't expect the forum here to be buzzing all the time right away.

But anyway, Sidney, I would think it was a shame if you left, but you did say you're staying here anyway.
And lots of nice voices have come together here in the thread too.
It will all work out.
I'm sure nice discussions can be had with heiter_bis_wolkig, for example.

sending sunny greetings back to you too
muetzekatze