@BasilPuglisi

Content & Strategy, Powered by Factics & AI, Since 2009

Social Media Topics

Turn Your Social Media Content into Something Incredible with FeedFabrik

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By now most folks who use the internet for work, play, or both, are likely to have generated a bit of personal or business content on their social media sites. Blogs, videos, articles, tweets, and more have their own special place online for quick and easy access when you need to reference them, share them, or simply enjoy viewing them.

What if you could take your already available content and give it a shiny new cover? What if you could avoid the inevitable process that most all content suffers from as it gets old, left behind, and falls into Internet Purgatory, likely never to be seen (easily) again.

FeedFabrik to the Rescue

FeedFabrik offers the ability to capture your own digital life and turn it into a proud display in a couple of different ways.

Create Your FriendPoster

Users can integrate with their Facebook account to quickly create a FriendPoster. This poster displays all of your social network friends by listing them on the date of their birth with their current profile picture. Users can choose from five different display theme styles as well as selecting different options for saving the creation. FriendPoster comes in:

  • PDF
  • Poster
  • Desktop Wallpaper

It will also be available with gift voucher options very soon.

Make a BlogBook

Turning your blog into a book may have endless possibilities. However, doing so has long proven to be a process usually full of bugs and issues and, in general, difficult to manage while retaining an aesthetically pleasing document. FeedFabrik’s blog book creator can smoothly turn your current blog into a well-designed book. FeedFabrik has full integration options on:

  • Blogger
  • WordPress.com
  • Self-Hosted WordPress Blogs
  • Typepad
  • Tumblr

Your book is prepared for you automatically and is ready in just a few moments. Users are free to take advantage of the customization options to tweak the book’s originality.

FeedFabrik has much to offer those who utilize social media on a regular basis and has several shining selling points when it comes to those who work in the publishing industry.

Alexa shows a 1500% increase in traffic views over the last three months and is currently ranked at #486,284 in the world with most users spending an average of three minutes on site.

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Can Social Media Redefine Traditional Business Intelligence Strategies?

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It seems that in recent years, social media has become a more frequently integrated element of a new company’s business intelligence platform or an existing business’s revamp of an old one. There is no doubt that the use of social media has begun to be a common format for business interactivity and in doing so, continues to contribute in leaps and bounds, to a company’s business intelligence.

Business ROI

One of the key goals of any business intelligence is to help attain a higher level of ROI. Business intelligence popularity continues to grow and is digitally multiplied with the use of social media networks and many available tools to manage them. This can make the time and money investment minimal, while providing maximum coverage for a company’s products and services. The promise of greater visibility, extended business decision-making opportunities, and the ability to reduce overall operational cost is why Business Intelligence continues to grow.

Options in Social Networking

There are incredible options in social networking and all businesses need to hash out the best options for their particular products or services. Overall Business Intelligence platforms can include an overall open choice in social network options such as a specific brand of blogger, or even a singular social platform like a Facebook Fan page. There are also options for platforms that include business intelligence features. Companies like Dundas and Lyzasoft offer their users Business intelligence platforms integrated with vital social networks.

The overall ability to instantly deploy business intelligence to help increase the end user experience will most certainly achieve greater functional and visual capabilities. This can also lead to yet more self-service business intelligence applications.  A large number of businesses now also use social media analytics tools to rate their own company’s brand awareness as well as utilizing it as a tool to fully examine the competitors.

Learning how to leverage business from social networking tools is a main focus in many high-end marketing campaigns, and that mass is likely to continue growing.

Business Intelligence Solutions Services

A responsible business intelligence solutions service provider will fully integrate the role of social media into a business’s BI to help increase its functionality and provide rewards for integration participation.

Thankfully, the collision course that companies are on with social media has a happy end-result. Companies need to remain continually savvy when it comes to all available options where business intelligence and social media can integrate to add communicative or brand awareness impact. Because of its unstructured nature, social media networks may be some of the most difficult elements to integrate into a business intelligence platform, but it is well worth the investment in time or money that is spent in doing so.

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Thumbtack Your Products and Services

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There are many ways to get your products and services some visibility while hopefully increasing your consumer or client base. Some are costly, and some are free. Many services offer to get your business posted on the top search engines, usually for a fee. Most small businesses that have done a bit of marketing and advertising understand that every little bit helps.

Getting Started on Thumbtack

Thumbtack does not charge users for listing their site, products, and services on all of the major search engines. Missing potential customers that can be gathered from this free resource seems rather counterproductive.

To get started users will simply need to enter their businesses name, number, location, average cost, and account information. Users should also take care and time with their business description, as this is the pitch that will bring possible consumers.

Once completed, a quick click will lead to the opportunity to upload a business logo, or product picture.

Craigslist Posting and Other Promotions

Once you have activated your account, Thumbtack will take you to their Craigslist posting page. This will walk you through a few prompts and then submit your site to Craigslist as a business service. Users are then be offered the option of earning points by listing their Thumbtack URL on their website or blog.

The rest of the registration process involves earning a few points for providing feedback to Thumbtack site developers, as well as getting users familiar with other elements of their points systems. On Thumbtack, the higher the points are on the user’s account, the better coverage, higher positions they are getting on Thumbtacks service site, and therefore search engines.

To increase your points, as well as provide more information about the behind-the-scenes workings of your business, be sure to answer the questions Thumbtack poses to users. Providing these tips and tricks of your trade can help to build trust with your prospective customers.

Who Uses Thumbtack?

Currently, Thumbtack is ranked at #7,531 globally and three-month traffic rankings show that 77% of those visitors are from the United States and analytics show the sites traffic has increased over 50% in the last three months.

In the US, where it has attained a traffic rank of 1,723. Relative to the overall population of internet users, this site’s users are disproportionately Caucasian, and they tend to be moderately educated women over the age of 35 who have incomes over $30,000. Thumbtack.com belongs to the “Marketplaces” category of websites. The site’s visitors view an average of 3.6 unique pages per day.

Thumbtack is ranked #7,531 in the world according to the three-month Alexa traffic rankings, and we estimate that 77% of visitors to this site come from the US, where it has attained a traffic rank…

 

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Twitter Teams Up with the Weather Channel Social

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On August 11th, The Weather Channel integrated weather forecast and news with the social media realm. Those who frequent The Weather Channel website for news on local weather can now sign into the site via their Twitter account to catch and share tweets from those in their area. Users can also spread tweets across TWC’s mobile, web, and television platforms.

Tweets gathered on the site can range from those provided by local news channel Twitter accounts, to individual residents reporting conditions in their areas. Although non-weather related information can also be aggregated by this system when weather related wording is used, the value in providing up-to-the-minute weather forecast for specific areas may even be lifesaving.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Bg55iKtwxw]

Twitter Proves to Be a Powerful Tool for News on Natural Events

The East Coast has already been the recipient of Natures unpredictable temperament this week, and it seems they are to face it once again with Hurricane Irene bearing down. Along with Nature’s wrath, the deluge of tweets sent out within the initial moments during the quake proves that at least in 2011, US Twitter users quickly flock to the social media network in times of uncertainty.

Animated Map of Tweets from Eathquake

Weather-related events can certainly inspire tweet frenzies, TWC reports that:

  • Significant weather events can generate over 2 million tweets per day
  • Active weather events can initiate somewhere between 300 and 500 tweets per minute that are weather related
  • On average days, users in the United States send out around 200 weather related tweets each minute

Weather may be the ultimate social content, as it is always guaranteed to trigger conversation.

The Mobile World

In the mobile world, TWC has an iPhone app that features tweets on local forecast pages with feeds of real-time Twitter post from The Weather Social page. Users can participate in Twitter conversation directly from the app.

The Weather Channel TV Programming

During live dedicated programming segments, weather-related tweets will also show up before, during, and after broadcasted weather reports. During significant weather events, TWC Social will supply users with a powerful tool that will provide The Weather Channel with the ability to tell the full story on how weather events are unfolding in their local areas.

WiredSet

Powered by technology from WiredSet, the Weather Channel Social can analyze Twitter conversations using a platform that designates refined algorithms to help recognize social conversations about weather events in real time.

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The Power of Facebook Webinars

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The Power of Facebook Webinars

Webinars are fast becoming a vital source of communication for a variety of different industry needs. Some examples of trending Webinar needs include:

  • Online Education
  • Business Meetings
  • Brainstorming Sessions

This is just the foundation for many of the ways that companies are currently utilizing Webinars. Most businesses and institutions have little choice these days but to look for more cost-efficient manners to carry out communications with a group who are not within affordable geographical reach. Company’s developed and deployed only online may also have serious outsourcing needs that can include vital training for their businesses. Even in a superb economy, having a face-to-face with online employees is an expenditure nightmare.

FBWebinars

As Facebook continues to step up their game in many areas, FBWebinars has added another element to the social networking giant that can provide business owners with a system that incorporates automated and recurring presentations, videos, webinars, and VSLs. Utilizing all of the viral aspects of Facebook, list building features make creating a FBWebinar a snap.

Currently still in their Pre-Launch phase, FBWebinars has an Alexa ranking of #61,602 with the larger part of its visitors coming in from the United States at 76% with a local traffic ranking of #15,661. Most users are males over the age of 35 with mid-level incomes.

What Can Users do with FBWebinars’ System?

With the FBWebinars system, users can promote any service, product, training or other webinar needs, as well as the products of any others, with their permission of course, or even create your own to promote many affiliate products or services.

Users on the basic account can add five custom webinars for their own products or services, and using pre-screened options do not count against your basic five.

The Future of Business and Educational Communications

Harnessing the educational or selling power of a webinar, with the mass marketing capabilities of Facebook certainly adds a few elements of ease to Webinar creation. Many users have already become loyal fans in just the short time FBWebinars has been in open beta. If your business or institution regularly relies on Webinars for communications, you may want to have a look at a review or two, do some research, and see if your webinar needs can be more efficiently met on the FBWebinar system.

With new updates popping off left and right, FBWebinar.com seems to be continually improving, at a rather fast rate. New methods such as the Viral Traffic Generation method and incentive programs are offering users innovations in Webinar technology previously unseen. You will not know until you investigate, but even without the impending updates, the current platform may be the perfect tool for your organization to launch products or services, create educational and training presentations, and improve your online marketing campaigns.

FBWebinar Updates

FBWebinars has already implemented a few new upgrades.

FBWebinars Incentives – This program will offer users a gift when they invite a designated number of friends to attend their webinar.

FBWebinars ‘Done for You’ – FBWebinars’ goal is to provide its users with a consistent stream of the newest and most profitable webinars with the highest conversion rates. Let FBWebinars help you to turn your webinars into sales, traffic, and a powerful tool for list building.

Click Here to get your account now!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkpJdmxTX-g]

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New Hot Startups: Silicon Valley, New York and Virgina?

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Some of the new startups generating interest in the West Coast, New York and in Virginia? Which one of those will flourish and become the next new trend?

Flotype – Founded in October 2010. Web technology that will enable anyone to easily build large scale web applications.

GetAround – Sept. 2009. Peer to peer car rental by the hour or the day. Network of people who are renting their cars instead of having them parked, unused, for 23 hours a day. Their technology allows people to unlock cars with their smartphones. GetAround won the TechCrunch Disrupt NYC last year.

LuJure – Founded in Balcksburg VA. LuJure is a drag and drop facebook application that allows everyday business owner the opporutnity to develop catchy facebook custom tabs that provide interactive content, videos, and specials sparked by timelines and viral activity.

HotelTonight – Launched in 2010 , the website lets you make last minute hotel reservations from your cell phone for a drastically reduced price. It aggregates information from hotels about their daily vacancies. Was names “best travel app” by travel & Leisure magazine.

Dekko – May 2011. Still in the beginning stages and very secretive, Dekko wants to give users all the information they might need about a picture they take with your cell phone or a photo they see on the internet. See explanation at:

iDoneThis – May 2011. sends users an e mail to remind them what they have to do and what they’ve accomplished. The information is put in a calendar so you’ll have a record of what you’ve accomplished and when.

Blurts – A blurt is an audio comment, story, anecdote, narration or voice-over used to add passion, authenticity and tone to any social post – Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, YouTube, blogs, comments, etc.

TaskRabbit – 2008, A marketplace for busy people who don’t have time to run errands. Users can post what they need done and how much are they willing to pay for the service. If your car doesn’t start, you can get jumper cables in minutes, or you can advertise for extra delivery person for a business at crunch time.

Cruisewise – May 2010. A site that aggregates all the information about cruises into one place and lets you place an order right there, unlike Expedia for example, where you have to call the cruise line after the reservation.

Dynamic Signal – November 2010, a social media marketing platform for marketers to build and operate their own brand communities. An operating system to make word of mouth marketing a key part of the marketing strategy.

Giftly– 2010, Enables users to send personal gift certificate to different stores. The recipient goes to the store, buys what he wants and the amount is reimbursed with the amount of the gift.

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Klout vs PeerIndex vs Social IQ

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Although Klout is certainly a highly popular format for social influence measurement, it is not the only tool available for this type of social media standing calculation.

Klout Review

Currently, Klout is definitively the leader in this social media-indexing race. Although some people continue to question the validity of the topics that are dubbed as a user’s ‘expert’ topics, others say that Klout is right on time when it comes to knowing what niches a person has a public passion for. 

Since early May of 2011, Klout has shown a steady rise in viewers. With only 1,208 sites having better three-month global traffic rankings, and the site holding steady in the US at #303, it shows no sign of letting up anytime soon. With new Klout Perks cropping up with increasing frequency, the buzz about this choice in social media monitoring does not leave out any of its pros, and even has its fair share of cons as well.

Some users report inconsistencies in what they are truly passionate about, and what Klout has derived as their interests from previous posts, statuses, and tweets. It seems that giving digital high-fives may only be worthy of Klout points if Klout is passionate about your topic, or simply just recognizes it as common.

PeerIndex

PeerIndex is another ingenious algorithm that measures the influence with a three A list.

  • Audience
  • Activity
  • Authority

These three elements are then evaluated and averaged in order to create each user’s Peer Index. The collaborated Peer Index will then reflect a number from zero to one-hundred, one-hundred being the highest.  

Another benefit to Peer Index and Mozilla users is a very helpful plugin that will reflect any Twitter users PeerIndex score on any website, forum, or any html based page where the @ symbol is used before a legitimate Twitter account name. This means that if you ever find yourself in need of someone with high authority in your niche, you are a simple Tweet stream away from the familiar and comforting highlighted PeerIndex rating. It also means an instant perusal of site owners’ proven level of peer influence without the need to manually go on a search.

PeerIndex has also been growing in leaps and bounds and has an Alexa ranking currently of 13,226 global with a U.S. presence at #7,326. However, only around 30% of users are U.S. based.

 Social IQ

A new competitor is also about to break out of beta and into the hands of eager users. Social IQ is defined as an algorithm that was developed by Soovox. Founded in 2009 and headquartered in sunny San Diego, California. Social IQ is the newest concept of the three in social influence calculation and monitoring. Still in their building phase, their main mission is to become a globally recognized element of new media advertising and influence economy.

Social IQ is taking the road previously traveled by Klout by enacting reward systems for users who have targeted niche influence. Login is just as easy on Social IQ s on the previously mentioned with manageable Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn integration.

Although it is still in beta and quite off of Alexa’s shortlist, Facebook integration is already functioning and any user can see what a fantastic tool this will be once completed.

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Facebook buys Push Pop Press: Facebooks?

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Facebook has announced this week the purchase of Push Pop Press, a fact that raised eyebrows and posed questions about where is the company going next.

Push Pop Press, started by two former Apple employees, Mike Matas and Kinon Tsubteris, aimed to change how the future books will be read. They presented their innovation at a TED conference in  Sept. 2009  by using their first published book, Al Gore’s “Our Choice”. The book provides an interactive experience that has not yet been seen. You can read the book like a traditional book, flip pages in real time. You can tap on the pictures and they will enfold to a full screen, and pinch them down to size. You can watch the pictures turn into videos about what you read, photographed in the actual locations, and you can see statistical information. Not only that,  you can play interactive games with the book, by blowing on the screen to see how fast the wind turbines move in the picture. AND you can do it all instantaneously without waiting for it to download. The book, readable on iPad and iPhone won Apple’s Design Awards.

Now people are wondering what is up Facebook’s sleeve? Are they branching out to new business that is not social media? Are they planning to start making and publishing books? Selling them through their site and competing with Apple, Amazon and Google?

On Push Pop Press’s website it says: “Although Facebook isn’t planning to start publishing digital books, the ideas and technology behind Push Pop Press will be integrated with Facebook, giving people even richer ways to share their stories. With millions of people publishing to Facebook each day, we think it’s going to be a great home for Push Pop Press.”

Some experts say the move to buy the company’s technology might be linked to Facebook’s entertainment platform. After all, for years Facebook has been saying they are not only a social network but an entertainment distributor. Facebook has a very robust gaming platform with hundred of million of users playing video games. Earlier this year, Facebook has started testing streaming movies in partnership with WB.

Or it might be that the purchase was to swoop up the talented engineers behind the company who clearly understand the tablet market better than Facebook.

Be it as it may, the Push Pop Press team will cease publishing books but the Al Gore book is still available for sale on their site with the proceeding going to charity.

People are lamenting the loss of such an innovative idea, but I have a feeling we haven’t seen the end of it yet. Facebook, which was started in college and for college students, might have a plan to revolutionize future education, by working on the future of school textbooks. Electronic books which can be updated and improved without having to print any single copy.

And all the books a student needs, from kindergarten to post graduate, can be seen on one, easily carried, tablet.

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XY Do: Facebook buys e-book maker Push Pop Press Plans to Integrate its Tech

Tumblr VS WordPress

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According to statistic reports, as of January 2011, the 4 year old site Tumblr.com has 20,873,182 users. For the same period WordPress.com, the older site (by 4 years), announced they have 20,787,904 websites powered by wordPress.com

This is the first time anybody overtook WordPress.com, and it became kind of big news among the blogosphere. To set the record straight, it is important to note that WoldPress.com numbers do not include the open sourced blog platform WoldPress.org, where people have websites they host themselves. The comparison is between the two hosting blog platforms only.

Still, it is clear that many individuals have been signing with Tumblr more than they have been signing with WordPress.com. Which one is better? Well, that depends on why you want a site or a blog and what you want to include in it.

What do they have in common?

  • Both are free.
  • Each site has free themes which can be easily installed.
  • Both can be customized.
  • Both can be updated from any computer or device that has internet connection.
  • Both allow you to name your page the way you choose.
  • Both are well known and popular, with good reputation.
  • Both have export capabilities. If you want to move your site, you can.
  • Both allow importing content from other content management systems.

Tumblr

Ease of use –

  • No installation or configuration of the program on your computer is needed.
  • User friendly dashboard
  • Easy upload of multimedia files
  • Custom designs (which do require payment) are cheaper on Tumblr than on WordPress
  • Easy to update from a mobile device
  • Has a built in community functions that allows following like-minded bloggers, reblogging what they wrote and “liking” it, which makes Tumblr a more community oriented site.

Functionality –

  • The server cannot be controlled by the user; it has to be hosted by the site. However, you can use a unique url that does not include .tumblr at the end.
  • The user has complete control over the content and can move his site or blog to another platform.

Design and customization

  • Has one basic layout and it must be applied to every page on the site. They now added page support to make the navigation between pages much easier.
  • Supports only 3rd party calendars and contacts, but it requires knowledge in coding.

Social Integration –

  • Built in. You can post and link to twitter automatically. You can also connect it to your Facebook page.

WordPress

Ease of use –

  • Downloading their program is necessary, but it offers many more options and settings.
  • The design and functionality of the page is more cumbersome and requires some learning.
  • Allows multiple pages, download of plug-ins, widgets and sidebars.

Functionality –

  • With WordPress.com the user has to use their server.  WordPress.org supports sites hosted by another server.
  • The site can be easily expanded to replace the current site.
  • People who have not designed the site but have administrative rights can post on the site without much effort.

Design and customization –

  • Many page layout options.
  • Ability to use different layouts for different pages.
  • Allows including native calendars and contact forms.

Social integration –

  • Can be done with the help of plug-ins.
  • WordPress.com has publisize allowing for sharing with Facebook Pages, Twitter, Yahoo, etc..

The ongoing consensus among experts is that Tumblr is more user friendly, fun and easy to blog. Its design is slick and simple, modern and big. It is geared more toward pictures and media than WordPress.

Both can be customized but WordPress is more extensive and flexible. If you don’t need an extensive e commerce site with forms, listings, heavy content and advertising, Tumblr is simpler.

But the biggest difference is in the ease of social integration on Tumblr that is built in, while it has to be added to WordPress.com with different plug-ins. Tumblr functions as a cross between a website and a Facebook profile, while WordPress is more dry and functional.

Some companies in entertainment, news and fashion have blogs through Tumblr. The Washington Post Innovations, Newsweek, The Huffington Post and Rolling Stones are some examples. Musicians and photographer seem to flock to Tumblr as well.

WordPress.com hosts sites of top brands like CNN, National football league and TED.

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New Trends: Online Retail Boutiques

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There have long been many sources of purchasing items online. Ebay, Amazon, and other big names have made online retail a much more common method of consumer purchasing. For the most part these services have done their duty by general consumers, but there are others who seek a more of a personal touch in their online retail experiences.

Although most all of the online retail sources do provide some type of cash or credit benefits through purchasing, referrals, and networking among other consumers and shop owners, the more general the service, the more general the benefits.

The Boutique Experience

The difference between Amazon and sites like Fab or The Fancy is not only the products available, but the benefits of referrals and other methods may be a bit more beneficial for the particular buyer.

Items on the online boutique sites differ a bit from mass produced products on general retail sites. While Amazon sells plenty of high-thread count sheets for a great price, they do not sell those sheets custom dyed, and custom fitted for your customized mattress. Users can find just about anything on a boutique site to match an amazingly large variety of taste. Not only can users find unusual items for their uncommon situations, but also the boutique owners are usually available to meet any custom needs, at much fairer prices, than a consumer would ever find for such specific items on the larger general sites.

What is the Attraction to Boutique Retailers?

Some of the coolest elements of boutique retailers are the consumer’s ability to customize just about anything at an affordable price. Moreover, do not let your mind limit the possibilities. Unique items that can be quickly found on boutique retailer sites are:

  • Food
  • Media
  • Gadgets
  • Art

This list, however, does not do justice to the items any consumer can find to fit their specific taste. Are you a musician? How about a cheese grater shaped like a guitar for your kitchen? Have an affinity for Grasshopper art? Need a new purse to tote your doggy around in? How about just turning the dog itself into a tote?

Rather have your grasshopper art on a blue background? Or perhaps you would rather your ‘doggy-gone-tote’ be red, to match your shoes. Chances are you can send those shop owners a message, and they will happily create the custom item for you. Although some boutique items can be higher priced than their generic counterparts, this is not always the case. Be sure to shop around, and in depth for options that match your current interest. Another great element of boutique shopping is that you can often actually bargain out your prices. If you see another item that is acceptable, but would prefer to get your item from another shop owner with slightly higher prices, you may have great luck by simply sharing that thought with your preferred retailer. They may be happy to strike a bargain with you that will please everyone.

Get Your Own Boutique

Setting up your own boutique is simple. Most sites will allow users to build anything from a very simple to a highly complex storefront. Although some sites may charge a set fee per month for owning your own store, most often, they work much like Ebay where a small percentage of sales are calculated to pay for your online shop ‘rent.’

Even those who have no experience building websites can quickly build a storefront by following prompts and choosing themes to get set up. User can usually also create their own custom designed storefront by writing their own html or paying a pro to do so. For shop owners, the best part of boutique management, is that you cannot usually overextend yourself if you are careful. Most often items are created, and then posted, and custom orders are frequently expected to take longer.

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