Bad JuJu

I started a thread in the Etsy forums yesterday, which for me is a big deal, because I'm usually killing them instead. But I was curious to know how people would feel about being asked to change the order in which their photos of an item were displayed. The reason being, for use in a treasury. I have only done two treasuries so far, but I am always on the hunt for neat things to promote. Every once in awhile, I come across something and find that maybe the second or third picture the seller has is a better representation of that item and by switching the 'display' picture, the item would work better in the treasury.

The reactions I got totally caught me off guard. I thought a lot of people would get offended by the suggestion of changing something in their shop, especially when they weren't even looking for a critique. As of this morning, the thread is still alive and not one person said they would mind. In fact, most stated that they would be more than happy to do it and would be honored to be featured in a Treasury. Some even said, "What about my other photos, do any of them need to be changed?"

I have read a lot of threads, some of them very controversial, sparking very heated discussions. Some have gotten down right nasty, so it was so great to see that everyone actually agreed on something, especially a topic that could have been taken as an insult rather than a creative opinion.

I think that we all look at our own work a little differently than someone on the outside does. Sometimes when you are too close to something, the view isn't always the clearest. Everyone wants and deserves their moment to shine and if a little constructive criticism helps them get there, then I don't think too many people would be offended. So, if you want to feature someone in a Treasury, or on your blog and the picture of the item isn't the best of the choices, don't dismiss them and move on. Contact them and let them know your intentions, the worse that can happen is they say no.

If you want to read the thread, here is a link