Etsy Forum - in's and out's

This blog post will be one of a series, as etsy forum etiquette can be quite complex! However the thing that I want to address right now is ‘calling out’. If you frequent the forums you will have seen this term before and likely have an understanding as to what it means.

For those of you who don’t know, this is when you speak badly of another shop or buyer, directly or indirectly. Etsy’s definition of calling out is as follows:

• The classic example of calling out is to mention another user by name (or link) in a negative statement. "WhateverfaceCoInc sells mass-produced junk. Whatshisname took my money and never shipped my item!" This is the most obvious method of calling out, but not the only one.

• Posting to complain about negative or neutral feedback you gave or received is – yep, calling out. With just a few quick clicks, crafty amateur detectives can figure out exactly who you're complaining about.

• Ranting about what someone posted elsewhere on the Forums may be deemed calling out, if it's easily determined who is the target of the complaint.

Seems pretty simple, right? You would think so, but every day I see new and seasoned etsians being accused of calling out by well meaning, but over-zealous posters. If it doesn’t fall under the above criteria, you can discuss it as much as you like – for example:

• If you have a problem with your shop, that isn’t related to a transaction – this is fine to discuss in the forums!
• If you have a question about rule breaking, ask away – just make sure you don’t use real examples.
• The exception to the above is if the shop in question is your own – you can’t call out yourself!
• If you have a problem with etsy itself, this is fine – you can’t call out etsy!
• If you want to discuss a positive transaction, this is great – and absolutely allowed, it’s great to share positive experiences.
• you want to talk about something off etsy – this is ok, but do use common sense.
• If you want to discuss a theoretical problem, this is okay (but not if you are just talking about a real problem that is occurring in a theoretical way).

If you have a problem that you feel you can’t discuss in public forums but you still need an answer – no need to panic! You can contact an advisor via convo to discuss the problem privately, or you can contact admin who will also be happy to help you!

To read more about calling out you can take a look at this storque article here.

About the author: lishlash runs an etsy store selling cards and jewellery, based in London UK. You'll often find her lurking in the fora!