Stalk the Stalkers during their Treasure Hunt
October 11, 2009 | By
Each week a new "victim" is chosen. The only criteria is that the "victim" has an Artfire studio. It doesn’t matter whether the studio owner has a free basic account or whether he/she is a verified pro member. “The ‘victim’ has no knowledge that they are being stalked and promoted, which is part of the fun,” explained Cassandra of The Copper Cauldron Soaps and guild master for The Stalkers Guild.
A recent twist to the stalking MO (mode of operation) is that anyone, can now sugge
st a “victim.” That’s right…You don’t have to be a member of the guild or even a registered Artfire seller or buyer. If you are reading this article, you can get in on the action by going to The Stalkers Guild Blog and nominating your favorite studio.
Every Monday a new shop is "stalked" for a period of a week. During this time, guild members promote the "victim" by posting an article on their blogs, Tweeting, submitting items to VoteHandMade, Kaboodling, Digging, and otherwise using their networking contacts all over the internet. Needless to say, the victims are both surprised and pleased to be stalked.
When I asked, “What’s in it for the Stalkers?” I was told, “It's all about having fun and doing something good for a fellow artisan.” Inspired by Blockhead Radio’s mission of “exposing artisans to the world,” and spurred on by the trend to “Pay It Forward” and the “Sneak Attacks” taking place on Etsy, The Stalkers Guild on Artfire was born.
The goal of the guild is all a
bout networking to the max. It’s not as much about selling or purchasing their victims’ items as it is about driving traffic to their victims’ studios by introducing a new face to each of the Stalkers’ networking realms.
The Stalkers’ icon is a crow wearing a crown. That crow silhouette is their signature and is included in any graphic in which the Stalkers Guild's name is used. Huckleberry Arts came up with the concept. Crows are black, sneaky, resourceful, and attracted to bright shiny objects.
Unfortunately, you have to be a member of the Guild to be privy to "victim" information and participate in the weekly Stalking. However, you don’t have to be a member of the Guild to be kind to a stalker by stalking a stalker in their upcoming Treasure Hunt.
From October 15th until October 31st, the tables will be turned, and anyone, including you, can participate in the Guild’s Treasure Hunt. No experience necessary to sneak aroun
d and stalk the participating stalkers. This coming Thursday, a list of the participating Stalker studios will be published on The Stalkers Guild Blog. The treasure hunt how-to’s were published earlier on October 1st.
See you in the shadows…
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Photo Courtesy:
Upper Left: The Copper Cauldron Soaps
Middle Right: The Chain Maille Lady
Middle Left: Made 2B Cherished
Bottom Right: The Copper Cauldron Soaps
Coco Watkin is a self-taught artisan offering heirloom quality stained glass and hand painted folk art collectibles as unique gifts and home decor. See her artwork at ByCoco on both Etsy and Artfire. Besides being a columnist for HMN.org, Coco also authors her own Blog, ByCoco: Art for Everyday Enjoyment. Send her your handmade "scoop" through a message on Artfire or a “convo” on Etsy .
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