#1
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Shall we chat?
about CT uploading requirements?
I have noticed a trend in the last few months at the sites I hit and I know I can't be the only one. I upload my layouts to SSD, DST and MSA...pretty much the "requirements" by most designers here. I don't buy anything that isn't SSD, 99% of the time at least, so this is really my main gallery anymore. Sure, my DST gallery goes further back but I'm not thrilled about my older layouts anyway. I have noticed that....not only are my layouts not getting comments at DST and MSA, but quite often they aren't even getting views...AT ALL. I can't tell you how many of my last dozen layouts at MSA have zero or one view. And at DST, the demographic seems to have shifted to more non-native English speakers, so my comments there, unsolicited or from the Praise Game, are generally "great layout". I doubt anyone is running off to buy the product from that, kwim? How productive is this? Is it really boosting sales? I don't have time to play The Praise Game, Pass the Praise, and Sweet Layout Lovins. I understand that if I did that, I'd get *some* comments and exposure. For the record, I'M NOT complaining about the lack of comments or views. I'm simply posing the question.....is it really worth my time to upload here there and everywhere? Is it really necessary for designers to require it? I just finished up a guest gig with La and she only requires posting at her own gallery and here...with other galleries being optional, and honestly I think that's smarter. I will happily follow through with any instructions I'm given by my designers, but I am just wondering if I'm the only one feeling this way. |
#2
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I really think the most effective galleries are store galleries... people who shop the store will go to the gallery and see if they like what's been done with a kit and then decide if they want to buy.... SSD is a great gallery because people are browsing and often looking to see if they need a kit.
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-It's pronounced Meeeegan... get it RIGHT! |
#3
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I upload to 4 galleries usually: here, DST, MSA, and TDC. I play the praise game here and usually get quite a few comments. I get a few at DST, and play the game there occasionally. The other 2 I don't play, and I'll get 1 or 2 comments. I don't really mind uploading to those 4 b/c it just doesn't take all that much time.
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#4
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I do think it is effective. I know from gallery hopping that I have bought kits from designers I have never even heard of, based on the LO's. I play praise games on DST and here only. On DST to get more than 20 comments I do have to play a LO two times. Sometimes the comments are very generic, but sometimes they are also productive. I think that the more views you can get your designers, the better.
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#5
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The point I was making, though, is that so often lately those views are zero. Almost always less than 5. IDK, I guess maybe it is just my layouts |
#6
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I upload to DST, MSA, OScraps and here for CT stuff (from here). Generally EVERY LO I do has a SSD product or two in it, so even non-ct stuff usually gets posted here.
I get very few comments at MSA or DST, probably because I do not reciprocate for the most part. I know this is bad of me, and I do feel badly, but if I have time to leave love, I will do it here. OScraps is amazing, at least to me, regarding comments, I always get some there. I used to be on two CTs over there, so it's just a habit to post there I guess, plus they are so nice. I don't know if posting at MSA and DST are really worth it, unless you have time to play the praise game. Otherwise the bulk of layouts get ignored, I think, simply because there are so many posted all the time.
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#7
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No, it's not just yours.
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#8
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No Lena!!! Your pages are always fab! It's the galleries. I have tons of pages w/ no views. I hate playing the praise game at DST. I've done it for a CT (b/c I her) but I don't like doing it.
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Happily Creating For: Krystal Hartley ♥ Libby Pritchett ♥ Meghan Mullens ♥ Melissa Bennett |
#9
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i'm 1,000% with you lena. as always.
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#10
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I agree Lena, my LOs rarely get any comments, anywhere I upload. My usual places are here, MSA, DST, SBB, TDC & SA ... and I get more comments at SBB and SA than anywhere else (sometimes more than here even). But I don't care about the comments/views. Sometimes it bothers me, but I am not active at the majority of the places I post at, really only make my "home" here.
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Sonja ~ tuneskids |
#11
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HECK NO!!!!! You are an AMAZING scrapper!!! It's totally not your LOs!
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#12
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I think I am too new, to really make any calls, BUT, I can say, that I UL to DST as well, since it is generally a CT req, and i RARELY get views, Never comments, I think 2 layouts of mine have comments, and one of those comments is from AmyStoeffel.. LOL!
I dont see it as very good "publicity" for a desginer, if no one takes the time to look at them... but that is just my opinion..
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Proudly Creating For: Krystal Hartley,K-Studio & Nikki Beaudreau
Guesting for: The ever FABULOUS Lauren Grier |
#13
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It's not, Lena - it's just that DST and MSA are so HUGE - the galleries are massive. Unless you bring people to your layouts somehow, you don't get views. There's just no way around it in those massive galleries. I'm not defending either - they're just both big. |
#14
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ABSOULTELY NOT!! Your LO's are fab.. I have NO layouts with more then 5 views, i dont think i even have ONE with five views...
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Proudly Creating For: Krystal Hartley,K-Studio & Nikki Beaudreau
Guesting for: The ever FABULOUS Lauren Grier |
#15
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awww, thanks girls. I wasn't meaning to beg for compliments, I really wasn't. . I do enjoy my layouts and that's really my biggest priority anyway It's not that I'm upset about getting low views/ comments. I'm just figuring...if they really aren't getting the views, what is truly the point of posting them? I only need one gallery to suit my needs.
I suppose if I were a really GREAT creative team member, I'd find the time to post in the games at all sites...that's really the only way to get a ton of views and comments |
#16
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I rarely have time to play the praise game. But I love sitting when I have a few minutes and browsing the gallery leaving some luv. |
#17
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I do the praise game at DST only because it gets more views for my designers. Otherwise, I would't bother. I figure that posting here for my SSD designers may actually be less effective, because everybody here already knows and loves the SSD designers. Posting at DST may help to draw some new people? Just a theory.
I don't think that the praise game has to take a long time, though. It only take a minute to post a link and then you only need to comment on the person above you. Sure, it is nice to do more than that (and I usually do), but you don't have to. |
#18
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I absolutely 10000000% agree with every. single. word. of your post, Lena. Every bit of it.
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Sara Creating for absolutely no one because I don't think I know how to scrap anymore.
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#19
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It's not your LOs, Lena! This is one of the reasons I haven't sought out any additional CT committments. I agree that if there are no views it's not worth it, so I feel like doing what I can to get exposure for my CT LOs is part of what I'm agreeing to when I take on a CT. The posting, more than the scrapping, is time consuming!
The designer I CT for sells at 2 stores plus her personal site, so I post and comment at those 3 galleries (and SSD if it was a challenge LO) plus post and play the Praise Game at DST. I don't know if it gets her any sales, but at least I feel like I've done what I can. My personal LOs I upload to DST and SSD when appropriate. I comment if I have time and never play the Praise Game.
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#20
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Totally totally agree... I don't think I rememberd to post my last two CT layouts at DST... ooops! I can't get that place to load for me, and spent more than an hour trying to get 'in' the last few times, so I've given up. It's sooo no worth my time. And I don't get a single view there either. (and the girls I CT for are SO SO worth praiseing even if my LO's stink!)
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#21
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Lena, I have galleries at DST, MSA, Scrapartist and here. I NEVER get views or comments anywhere but here. And I am a comment freak. Sometimes I log on to the net just to cruise galleries. That is how I ended up here. I digiscrapped about a year and a half ago. I was a huge scrapartist fan. I also love Little Dreamer. Honestly, I just love Michelle Colemen. But I quickly got tired of posting and getting no response. So, I went back to paper scrapping. While I was in school last semester, I didn't scrap at all. Then during the summer I got bit by the scraping bug. I started surfing galleries to get ideas. And man did I hate it. The style had changed. I want layouts that I can do in paper if I choose to. I still like the feel of paper scrapping. Here, i found the style that best suits my taste. There is a ton of inspiration here. It doesn't look like a graphic image, it looks like a scrapbook page. KWIM? Once and a while I will peak at the other galleries, and you know what? The layouts I choose to comment end up being SSDers.
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Faith is not believing that God can. It is knowing that God will!- Ben Stein Heather Dumas |
#22
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DST is the only one that works for me though. On MSA nothing. Maybe one or two comments....that is it. But I cant say that I am active there...so it's kind of a what goes around comes around.
As far as your scrapping not getting comments...that isnt it. I think it's because of HOW many LO's are getting uploaded. They last less than a couple minutes in the main gallery. If you dont play praise, you will get nothing there! I cant say that I enjoy doing the praise there. It seems sometimes...like a requirement. And yes, the european scrapping community...not that I have anything against them!!! has sort of taken over the comments and gallery standouts. When I load a LO there, I only do it when I know I have about 10 or 15 mins to spare playing praise games. And even then I only leave praise for the page I am on! Which is kinda sucky of me. But I would rather leave praise here for the community I am more involved in.
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#23
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I think that if we're not at least getting views for our layouts, maybe we're not doing our job as CT members. I don't get a lot of hits, and most of the ones I get come from playing praise or leaving love, but I *do* feel like I owe it to the people who give me their products for free to take the time to play the praise game, because what everyone has said is true--at MSA and DST the only way to get noticed is to be a "heavyweight" like Gina Miller or Cindy or to play praise. Being a total lightweight, I play praise. It doesn't take but ten minutes, and I doubt anyone who's hanging out here doesn't actually have time but more likely just doesn't TAKE the time to play. I'm not judging here, it's totally your choice whether you play praise or not, but you can't really complain about not getting views if you're not participating in the praise game.
I think this leads to the question, "Is it really wise of designers to have Creative Teams?" I think if a designer's personal CT is big AND the site CT is big, maybe they're actually LOSING business by giving away their products to all these folks. What do y'all think?
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#24
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again, I think ISO threads and ads with layout examples of kits brings more business. I want to see what can be created from the gorgeous kits that I receive ads for not just the pretty package. A CT layout can be the deciding factor between whether I buy the kit or not. |
#25
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I have to agree with Kellie. If I'm CT'ing for a designer, I feel it is my responsibility to try to play the praise game. I almost always do here, and I try to at DST when I have time. I always leave praise on several lo's at a time. I do usually get several views, even if I don't get many comments.
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#26
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I also think I've been lured into buying more stuff from scrappers blogs than galleries, but I could just be an odd ball. |
#27
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But then I do put in the effort to play the praise games at both DST and MSA and my views and comments show that. In fact I get WAY more comments at both of those sites than I do here. Sure my views overtime are more here, but I think that's just largely to people browsing the gallery for product. It certainly doesn't translate into comments, nor would I expect it to. I think it all just comes down to you get back what you put in. One thing to think about is not everyone looks for product the same way. I know that when I'm looking for stuff to buy, I always browse the gallery at MSA because the products are usually my style and most of the "popular" stores show up there. I did this just before DSD and found several things that I ended up buying, some from designers I had never bought from. I imagine that by requiring CTs to post at the big sites, this is the kind of purchases they're hoping to get. ETA: Ooops sorry, that got long. Last edited by Nettio; 11-03-2008 at 09:59 PM. |
#28
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#29
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lifted from Lizzy's DST thread earlier...
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#30
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Here is an opinion from someone who is just a buyer of kits ... not a CT, designer, etc. When I buy a kit, it is because of what is on the preview (and the pages that will follow. ie. paper, elements, etc). When I view a gallery it is to get layout ideas, not to look for kits. When I tag a lo it is becaue I like the design of it, not necessarily the kit. There are many favorites that I have tagged, not because I like the kit, but because I like an idea on the page. I don't think I have ever looked at a lo and bought a kit from it. But, like someone said above me, I could be an "old ball".
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Heidi
CTing for : Studio Basic & Erica Zane Last edited by scrappurple; 11-03-2008 at 10:41 PM. |
#31
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I'm one of the ones who likes to browse galleries and look at layouts. I don't care if they ever have comments on them or not - doesn't effect whether or not I like that layout. I just like to look. I like to look for ideas to use kits, I like to look for different ways of doing things. I look at a lot of layouts. I don't necessarily always open them up to see what I like or not. So don't get too discouraged. It's also effected by what time of day you post. Everyone knows that the gallery moves fastest during the early morning hours US time. As a designer, I'm not trying to make it harder on my team to ask them to post a layout at DST. Being that it's a big, popular gallery (same with MSA), I'd like to have my stuff there should anyone look for it. That's my reasoning |
#32
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#33
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This is such a tough issue to gauge...there are so many factors!
I think for the most part, the lack of comments/views is one of the many windfalls of the growing scrapbooking world. The big galleries FLY, making it necessary to play the praise games to get people to notice you. Not so long ago, the playing field seemed more "even", but you really have to "fight" now. This goes for getting people to acknowledge your work in galleries and getting designers to notice you for creative team spots. There's just so much talent and variety now that I think it's really tough, especially in the really really big places like DST. Personally, I find myself looking for examples of specific kits in a designer's gallery or galleries of particular scrappers more and more, so I feel like a CT's "job" is most beneficial in the designer's site/gallery. But others operate differently...I just feel like my shopping/viewing time is better spent in places I know I'll find what I like, not randomly viewing galleries, there's just too much to sift through now! Interesting thread, I'm enjoying reading everyone's opinions. Teresa |
#34
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I just want everyone to know how much I am enjoying this conversation without it turning into a war. there are a lot of great points brought up!! I so miss intelligent conversations!!!
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#35
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DITTO, LuAnn!!
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#36
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I agree LuAnn!
I guess it depends too, on how one shops. For example, I am NOT a gallery shopper at all. I can't even think of a time I saw a LO and said "I must own that!". I am buyer based on previews, and my biggest downfall, ISO threads. So it's not that I think everyone is like that, but I tend to promote my designers in those threads more often. I don't know why I don't play the praise game, I usually get a few comments when I do, but I guess I'm someone who likes 1-2 meaningful comments, then 7-10 "great layout" comments. I get great comments here, they are specific to my actual LO, and mean a lot more to me.
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#37
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#38
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I actually am a gallery shopper. I always look at the previews here @ SSD, but I also look at the CT lo's that come out on Fridays. I really don't shop at other sites though, so I buy kits from other sites when I see a great lo with that kit.
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#39
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I only occaisionally browse DST, but I have tracked down kits and purchased them because of seeing them in action. I dont necessarily leave comments in the process either. I have never been on a CT though, so my POV is purely as a buyer.
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#40
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I HAVE bought kits based on other pages I saw at DST... that's how I found Kitty Chen and Gina Marie Huff... and I have been a faithful Gina buyer ever since seeing that ONE page.
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-It's pronounced Meeeegan... get it RIGHT! |
#41
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From a designer standpoint (albeit a small unheard of one), posting in the ISO threads does MUCH more.
I'd be willing to not even require layouts in exchange for that, almost. |
#42
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This is how I look at it too . . . I mean I post up my layouts so that if anyone is looking for pages done with XXX they may stumble upon it. I only play praise games once in awhile. I try to support designers by responding to ISO threads and linking up my credits. And sometimes a designer may use a layout I've done for an ad. But I've never felt like I needed to get views on my uploaded layouts .
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**Mimi**
I tried to make my siggy as fancy as possible without opening up Photoshop. This was the best that I could do. |
#43
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Umm, no. Not even sure what that is. If I see a kit that I like or an item I like, I look at the credits of a lo and go to the shop. But like I said, that doesn't happen very often. It is the preview that gets my attention.
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Heidi
CTing for : Studio Basic & Erica Zane |
#44
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I agree with you Lena.....if I play the praise game at any site, I do actually look at the LO's and if I see something I like then I may just go purchase it...but I try to play here {haven't in awhile I have to admit} and I really look at the LO's and have bought a few kits just from viewing them that way...I personally think DST is just SOOOOO big that you can't possibly get the exposure even if you do play the praise game....I do know that I post ALL of my LO's at ACOT no matter where I got my kit and I think people there get ideas from my LO's and will tend to buy products from my LO's posted ....and yes, I am a guest of La's this month and I TOTALLY LOVE that she only makes us post here and at her site...ACOT also only requires us to post there and at 2 other sites {and they are sites of your choice}...I did come across Jofia Designs by playing the praise game at DST...so I think depending on your style, shopping and scrappin style you may buy a kit or elements from a LO that you view from the praise game....but I am guilty of not being very active at playing this game, but I do try and when I do I pretty much try to post on at least the 10 previous posters before me...only becuase I just don't have the time to puruse the gallery when in 1 day there are 7 new pages of LO's that have been posted...that's just my 2 cents and I hope it made sense
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#45
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Heidi
CTing for : Studio Basic & Erica Zane |
#46
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ALOT of the time my LOs don't get very many views or comments unless I play the praise game, and honestly if I weren't doing almost 95% CT LOs I wouldn't play it. It does take a lot of time to reciprocate comments, and then I feel bad if I am not able to reciprocate back to everyone. I do feel like I owe it to SSD and my CTS to try to at least get views on my LOs, which is why I play. I definitely have noticed a shift in the comments I get at DST, and lately alot more generic comments. What annoys me is people who play the game 3-4 times with the same LO....so weird, and I've had people leave a link to one of their LOs in my comments as if to say make sure you comment back LOL. I will say that I do think the praise game sometimes works for selling products because if I do buy from another store, it is usually because I have seen a LO in the gallery through the praise game. The number of views you get is so dependent on the time of day you post too, has anyone noticed that.....and also if you play the praise game early in the day you often get way more comments and views. Great question!!!!!!! |
#47
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#48
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I have to tell you though, I am less likely to buy a kit if there is no layout in the store preview. I like to see how amazing the kit can be. The CT layouts do that for me. They spark my creative juices.
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Faith is not believing that God can. It is knowing that God will!- Ben Stein Heather Dumas |
#49
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Honestly I think that the galleries do help, here. I don't know if they do at DST or MSA, because those galleries are opened and they just get too much traffic.
Here, you actually get a chance to see layouts before they get pushed out by new layouts. I love looking at the gallery here, I'm not a big commenter, because I can't come up with anything clever to say. But they do influence what I buy. I don't like the galleries at DST and MSA, to be honest because there are a LOT of crappy kits that are used there. I'm sorry, but I hate seeing layouts made out of the cheap kits, or the ISO threads and all I get is crappy looking stuff. I love it here because i don't have to deal with that. Everyone that designs here it top notch. There are no quality issues, the scrappers here are fab. I think closed galleries are better for the designers. |
#50
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I totally agree with this. I love the closed gallery here.
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**Mimi**
I tried to make my siggy as fancy as possible without opening up Photoshop. This was the best that I could do. |
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