Computing4Crafters

Well we've been getting on with the new site as mentioned the other week. The site is meant both for those crafters who are new to the computer and those who would like to increase their knowledge a bit. The initial topics covered include:

• Creating a website / blog
• Shopping on the Internet
• Images and Sizes / DPI
• Making Your Own Decoupage Sheets
• Making your own Pyramid Papers
• Keeping Your Computer Safe

This and more is on the site right now plus we will adding more weekly. There is a newsletter to join if you would like to be kept up-to-date with new articles.

You don't have to join the site just to read the articles but you will have to if you want to make any comments. If you have any thing you would like covered on the site and it is related to computing/crafting then just contact us through a message here, in the Free Craft Downloads Forum or by using that contact us form on www.freecraftdownloads.co.uk (We will add a contact form to Computing4Crafters Shortly).

We have now closed Computing4Crafters and amalgamated all the info onto Craftville.com

Computing 4 Crafters

I have been thinking for sometime about starting a new site (like I don't have enough to do already). It would combine my computing "skills" and my interest in Crafts. So the site is going to be called "Computing4Crafters".

On it I would like to do a series of tutorials, both written and video, which would show people how to making there own decoupage, there own backing sheets, cross stitch patterns etc, either using commercial computer software or some of the free software which is out there. Thinks I could quite like this idea. I've been using Paint Shop Pro and other graphics programmes for over 20 years so I think I have something to share especially when it comes to the area of crafts!

Any ideas about what people would like to see on a site like this would be most welcome.

Crafts and Computers

Most of the time I think a computer is a crafters best friend. With it I can access the Internet and therefore source crafting materials, talk to other crafters in forums, promote my goods etc. Away from the Internet I can do my accounts, make up new design and deal with all my show bookings.... great..... until something like earlier this month happened when both of my hard drives (laptop and desktop) decided to break in the same week.... so even though I had been backing stuff up I lost it all :-(

So now I've bought one of those stand alone hard drives and I shall backing everything up TWICE, what are the chances of 3 hard drives going at the same time do you think?

Speaking of forums, I read an interesting statement on a forum the other day. The website owner said "You can say whatever you want in this forum", not sure what prompted them to write that but it seems a bit of a strange statement, somewhat naive. What is it about the internet which makes people think it isn't governed my either everyday social rules or even the law.... of course you can't write what you want in a forum, and should you write anything which is libellous, racist, promotes hatred etc. it would be a very silly site owner who didn't take any action. Forums are great, I'm a member of at least 10, Craft Forums, animation forums and software forums but I like to think I behave in them no differently than I do in face to face meetings :-)

Craft Forums

Well I wasn't going to do a blog like this but everyone seems to be doing it now-a-days so I thought I'd give it a go :-) I have various interests, card making, glass painting, computer crafts etc... but I also have a life away from crafting.

Sadly the first thing to report on is the suspension of the Arts and Crafts Direct Forum. A message on the site says

"The forum has been suspended until further notice due to inappropriate use."
I wasn't actually a member of this particular forum but I have been a member of two others which have been closed down because of "in fighting". The fact that this seems to happen fairly often begs quite a few questions.... this time the forum was obviously closed because of arguments over the "My Craft Studio" software and whether or not it does what it should, if it was released too early and whether people who previously bought the software should get an apology. I can't really comment on the specifics of this case because I have never tried the software but for me it raises wider issues:

1. Should commercial sites have forums (or is it just asking for trouble). Should forums just be run by "independent sites ( shoppingtelly.com, craft.co.uk, www.craftsforum.co.uk.

2. If it is on a commercial site should it be seen as integral part of the site run by the owners or a service run by the owners for their users.

3. Is a companies forum the correct place for customer complaints, is any forum owner going to leave them there? Can any customer who can't seem to get an answer elsewhere resist putting a message in the forum :-)

4. What should a forum owner do about "inter forum flame wars"

5. What should a forum owner do about criticisms of competitors or a competitors product in their forum.

No doubt the Craft Forums will continue but it does seem sad that people who take no part in a particular argument / thread loose the facility of a forum altogether. Sometimes I don't think these companies realise how "stuck on" a forum people can get... its where they meet their friends, swap stories and even get support. Removing that without warning could be remarkably upsetting. Too many companies seem to think they can tag a forum onto their site and then forget it or hand the responsibility of it to some poor volunteer who then has to manage with little support.

We shall wait and see if Art and CRaft Direct decide to bring theirs back.