Step forward and volunteer!

'Shakespeare Print' by designbirdie

The last six months just flew by! One minute we held the fabulous St Patrick's Day Treasure Hunt, the next moment the Etsy Ireland Pop-Up shop opened, and now we are coming towards the end of June, are still waiting for the summer, and have to start thinking of a new committee.

Letizia (Team Admin) and I, Purls (Blog Co-Ordinator) have been in our posts for a year and it's been a blast. However, we are now looking for two people who can take the Etsy Ireland mantle from us. Don't worry, we'll be around for help and advice. Letizia will keep our Twitter page updated, and I plan to write the odd blog article or two ;)

Volunteering on the team committee is a very satisfying experience. You get to know lots of amazing crafty people, you learn new skills, and get lots and lots of inspiration for everything, from your own craft to life in general. You also get a great sense of community, and don't feel like you're just a lonely crafter in a big world of people who don't care about handmade.

The following posts are up for grabs, so don't hesitate and bring your enthusiasm and ideas to the team!!!


Team Admin (rotated every 6 months)

• responsible for making newcomers welcome, send out information about membership and passing on links (facebook/flickr/blog...)
• add/invite people who become members to the Etsy team page & update the shop directory. Also add new members blogs to the members blog list.
• encourage members to tag items correctly with 'craftyirelandteam' 
• be on hand for general queries from new and existing members 
• take random queries from press and send queries/press to the relevant person in the team who can help them. Also to update the contact tab on the blog when neccessary
• email the New Member Admin weekly with the names of new members for inclusion in the 'Welcome' post on the blog
• fresh picks on the blog - every few days pick 3 new favourites for the blog sidebar 
• contact craft shops and ask for team discounts & update the craft suppliers tab on the blog

Blog Co-ordinator (rotated every 6 months)

• work with the 'blog hosts' to provide daily content on the blog
• create a blog timetable/ calendar through shared docs, for instance Google Calendar
• write articles, especially when there are gaps in the schedule
• edit submitted articles if necessary
• deal with minor technical glitches on the blog
• add blog hosts/ regular contributors as blog authors to the blog so that they can publish their articles themselves
• encourage members to submit content, this involves mentioning the blog in the team forums and to new members, as well as publishing calls for new content on the blog regularly
• co-operate with the Blog Designer to have regular design changes
• be the contact person for the blog and respond to queries

New Member Admin for 'Welcome' updates

• announce new members publicly on the blog (Member Update) once weekly email is received from Team Admin: this involves visiting each new member's shop, getting a pic and title of a current item, creating the collage or composite graphic of that week's members and then getting a slot from the Blog Co-Ordinator to do the Welcome post

Blog Hosts

Responsible for assisting Blog Co-Ordinator in maintaining a complete blog schedule and help fill gaps where necessary. There are regular hosts and hosts who don't have a weekly slot.

Anne Marie who has been a regular contributor to this blog for a year now has decided to take a break, and Mo, who has kept us informed about all things crafty in the Crafty News also wants to take a break. This means, we need somebody who would love to write the Crafty News once a week, and also more blog hosts. We also need somebody who currates the Eyes Open Ireland feature since Rachel will be currating the Fab Five on Fridays.
If any of the other hosts who have regular slots would like a break, or 'change jobs', please let us know here. Maggie, our blog designer who has been working quietly in the background, will stay in her post.


PR Team/Think Tank (long term role for 3 - 5 members)

The Think Tank has yet to get off the ground properly, although we had some great work from more informal groups of team members in relation to the St Patrick's Day Treasure Hunt and the Etsy Ireland Pop-Up shop. However, maybe this term we might finally get a bunch of proactive creative thinkers and most importantly 'doers' to help generate publicity for the team, online and offline. This would include writing press releases, organising team promotions and publicising the team at events or organising publicity events for the team. The Think Tank works closely with the Team Admin and Blog Co-Ordinator.

The Think Tank is also responsible for applying for team grants and informing the team of progress via blog, facebook, twitter, Crafty Ireland Team forums, and Etsy chat room.

Area Representatives:

Represent your Area! Hosting a team meeting is a great way to do that! We need reps for
Dublin, Belfast, Galway, Limerick and Cork. If there is a significantly large group of Etsy Ireland team members elsewhere, do let the Team Admin know and discuss where to set up meetings for said group!
Each rep will be responsible for setting up meeting time/location and inviting members in your locality to come along. No big agenda! Just meet up, chat, show off your latest makes, maybe have a craft supply swap and have fun. We’d love each rep to blog after each meeting with some photos and a little summary of what you all got up to!

That's it for the moment, new or new vacant posts might be added to this list - we are always open for  new suggestions - so keep an eye on this blog. Informal enquiries about posts can also be made to me, Purls, and Letizia.

Purls

New Committee:

Team Admin: Sue from amazingbeads
Blog Co-Ordinator:
New Member Admin for 'Welcome' updates: Ellen from Spiralgoddess

Web Designer: Maggie from TheBowMakers
Techie Backup: Apple from AuntyApplesReFinery
Blog Hosts: Ruth from nicedaydesigns, Mante from MedusaJewellery

Crafty News:
Treasury Currator:
Eyes Open Ireland (monthly): Ellen from Spiralgodess

Fab Five on Fridays: Rachel from balanced
Tea and a Chat: Rebecca from LuckyRainbowDesigns
Twitter: Letizia from ooakie
Facebook: Nadine from thethistlepatch

PR/Think Tank: Angela from graceandfavourshop, Sue from amazingbeads
Area Representatives:
Galway: mariposavintage
Limerick:  Ruth from nicedaydesigns