An Untapped Opportunity Comes Through Pinterest

I opened up my email this morning and found this letter from Pinterest.

Just over a year ago, my wife and I welcomed our son into the world. Since his first day, I've been pinning fun things we can do together, right now while he’s still little and later when he gets older. I know many of you do the same. Pinterest is where you keep your wishlists, vacation plans, dream home ideas, and other things you want to do soon and in the future. 

That's why for us, it's so important that Pinterest is a service that will be here to stay. To help make sure it does, we're going to start experimenting with promoting certain pins from a select group of businesses. 

I know some of you may be thinking, "Oh great...here come the banner ads.” But we’re determined to not let that happen. While we haven't figured out all the details, I can say that promoted pins will be: 

* Tasteful—No flashy banners or pop-up ads. 

* Transparent—We’ll always let you know if someone paid for what you see, or where you see it. 

* Relevant—These pins should be about stuff you're actually interested in, like a delicious recipe, or a jacket that's your style. 

* Improved based on your feedback—Keep letting us know what you think, and we'll keep working to make things better. 

For our first test, we'll promote a few pins in search results and category feeds. For example, a pin for a Darth Vader outfit from a costume shop might be promoted in a search for “halloween.” Nobody's paying for anything yet—we want to see how things go and, more than anything, hear what you think. 

Thanks so much for all your support these first few years, and we hope you'll keep pinning with us for many years to come! 

All the best, 

Ben 

It occurred to me that this could be a wonderful opportunity to give businesses that create handmade items a fighting chance to compete with the big box stores, if implemented so that these promotions favor such businesses. Those who hold the cards in social media sites can make a difference if they believe in handmade and in giving artists and crafters a leg up, and keeping handmade alive and thriving in the larger pond of entrepreneurship. Since many handmade businesses utilize various forms of social media as guerilla marketing on a daily basis, they/we provide a constant stream of material to keep these systems pumping. I figured I'd put my advocacy background to good use and write in to ask that Pinterest consider my proposition. Below is my letter;

Hi Ben,

I like this idea but have one request. Could you prioritize small businesses like mine who are sole proprietorships making handcrafted items? As the economy has gotten tougher those of us in this category have really had to be up around the clock many nights to compete with the big box stores, yet we don’t have near the advertising budget that the big box stores have. I see a lot of commercial mass produced brands also being pinned and often it feels as if I am John Henry competing against the machine.

If you would do this it would go a long way towards leveling the playing field for us “little guys” who make things one by one with our own two hands.

Please write and let me know what you think and if you can make these small handmade businesses a priority in this effort.

Hope to hear from you soon.

Sincerely,

Pippit Carlington

http://Giftbearer.etsy.com

http://GiftbearerSupply.etsy.com

If you have a small business producing handmade items, if you have an Etsy or similar online shop, you spend long hours promoting your brand, or you feel that this would help your business and/or that of someone you care about I encourage you to write Ben at Pinterest too and let him know you'd like such businesses to be the focus in this new marketing experiment. At least for the time being it's free and could have great potential to put many artists and crafters struggling to get a solid foothold on the map!

911 Continued-People Denied Medical Care-Uninsured and Under-insured

With Obama's Public Option still up in the air and some legislators in Congress as of yet undecided, now is the time to make your voices heard.

My last blog post got very few comments. I'm not really sure why. Healthcare is a topic that most feel strongly about one way or the other. Whether you agree or disagree with creating a Universal healthcare plan I hope you will consider the information posted here, keep an open mind, and leave a comment so that I know that people are reading and thinking deeply about this topic. Although the subject matter is heavy, we cannot afford to turn a blind eye or a deaf ear. My intention is not to be morbid or to depress readers, but to inform, empower, and motivate everyone to become active in their political process. This truly is a life and death matter and although it is not easy to look at or to tackle logistically, there is hope for the future. Sometimes things get worse just before they get better, and together each of us can contribute an important piece that will make a difference for the better if we keep our eyes on the prize. It is worth the effort and the struggle to emerge victorious on the other side of heartbreak even when it would be easier to do nothing and leave the hard work to the law-makers. Never under-estimate the power you have when you join hands with others around you.

This woman was about to give up fighting her insurance company for life-saving treatment but at the last minute tried approaching something a little differently and it worked! Her method may help somebody out there who keeps hitting a brick wall. You never know exactly what might make an impression on someone on the other end of the phone. Keep in mind that even with regulations underwritten by insurance companies there is always a certain amount of discretionary power that decision-makers have at their disposal when reviewing your claim;

Anne (brain tumor)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUrf2aL1aDs

I hope I have made the information I share interesting and relevant and that it helps make the world at least a little better, and to those currently suffering with health-related issues that you feel some comfort in knowing that you're not alone. Although not being alone is both a blessing and a curse in this instance, take comfort in knowing that people are beginning to mount a revolution of sorts.

No matter how small or how poor or how young or how ill you are your story is important and transformative. It is never insignificant, never weak, never self-indulgent. It speaks a truth that holds alot of personal power. They say that the personal is political and the political, personal. Some fear and avoid talk of politics, but all politics really is is the process of living with others around us and it just boils down to planning how we operate and interact in the world, the roles that each plays, and how we participate in life. To avoid that is to avoid being fully present and engaged in the process of living. Staying with difficult topics may be overwhelming at times, but if we hang in there for the duration we come out on the other side richer for having stayed in until the final bell.

This video is about a Special Education Aide in Wisconsin who is uninsured. You might be surprised that not all school systems provide health insurance to all their teachers/employees and when I first viewed this one I was shocked that a relatively progressive state like Wisconsin would allow someone working full time to fall through the cracks, but this woman continued to put one foot in front of the other despite incredible barriers affecting herself and her family. Pre-existing conditions locked her out of rights that everyone should have;

Without Insurance (A Special Education Aide struggles to pay for healthcare for her family)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdGCT9dBK10

Do you think doctors don't have this problem? The answer to that question might surprise you.

The Need for a Public Option for All, Dr Manisha Sharma's Story 20090821
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZIytK-qDe8

Part of the problem is that in large systems rules and regulations begin to take precedence over people. In healthcare that can be fatal. The rats who place such policy over individuals have become so brainwashed by their profession that ludicrous and arbitrary limits become reasonable in their twisted way of thinking. Such practices as only offering certain treatments to those who have three or less tumors, for instance are common in the insurance industry. Even the individual patient's doctor may fail to move those reviewing a given claim although that physician knows this is the best treatment for the patient given her set of variables.

BlueShield Bureaucrats Override Doctor's Treatment
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGdOBs-9a1w

Will you or somebody that you love be denied treatment for the Swine Flu (H1N1 virus)? This article about triage outlines those individuals who will likely not receive treatment. The national guidelines actually violate some federal laws and the hypocratic oath;


Triage! Will You Be Denied Treatment for Swine Flu?

http://www.articlesbase.com/diseases-and-conditions-articles/triage-will-you-be-denied-treatment-for-swine-flu-907246.html

Continue to write the President with your suggestions for improving our healthcare system. Get involved in the political process. Your vote does count even though the problem seems insurmountable at times.

Please feel free to post here and tell me how you are addressing these problems. If you have a personal story you'd like to share please contact me either on Etsy or in the comment section here on this blog and give me an e-mail address where I can reach you so that you can send me the whole story and I will feature you in an upcoming blog post! Maybe others can learn from your experience. If you have had any victories in this area please elaborate on what you did that removed some healthcare barriers in your instance. If you have created videos on this topic please send me the link to them and I may use those in future articles too.

I plan on covering this topic for awhile.

Home-Safe and Sound-Distemper Virus Gone!

Carmella is home and bursting with life, thanks to the two vets who had the courage and compassion to think outside the box and to do whatever it took to make her well!

She looks a little funny with her shaved neck, but the hair will grow back.

When I came to pick her up the nurse who'd been assigned to Carmella, Cecelia, came in and said, "I just want to tell you, lady that you should give yourself a pat on the back for what you're doing for this dog. She is a sweety, and I don't think many other owners would have gone as far as you did."

I asked her if Dr. Muller had done the procedure on the other dog with Distemper and she said she didn't know and I told her I hope he did soon because I want others to be saved too. As much as I love Carmella I can imagine how much others in the same situation want their dogs to overcome this disease and they should have the same chance.

Dr. Muller was off today and will be out of the office next week but Cecelia asked me to call on Monday and she would find out about a follow-up appointment for Carmella.

After I had dinner and fed Carmella her kibble I opened up a big Granny Smith apple, as promised, peeled, cut it into sections and gave it to her as a reward for getting through all this. She gobbled it down enthusiastically and I took some very cute pictures of her.

It seems fitting that she should get an apple given the apple's symbolism throughout history of the acquisition of knowledge, and of stepping out on faith, and her eating it was almost a sort of communion which indicates new life, nourishment, (and on an even more global level) opening the door to new frontiers.

Carmella's expenses are adding up, so your donations and/or purchases are still needed to help with her vet bill. Please use the donation button in my sidebar, purchase handcrafted jewelry from my Etsy store, or buy a $5.00 ad on my blog like the banners you see to your right in the area which says "Are you in my top spots?" through Scratchback.

Also, please share the information here with your vets, let them know that this cure is real and that the demand for it is growing. No dog needs to die of Distemper or become irreperably disabled any longer if vets do this early enough in the disease process. If you work for or with a shelter please tell them about this option.

http://Giftbearer.etsy.com/