Paranoid about social networking?

Jewelry Discussion
1

I have several suppliers that have a social networking page. They
have invited me and everyone else to follow them on it and to share
it with my friends.

I have my own networking page. Do they not understand that my
clients can see who my suppliers are, if I do that? I am not willing
to share that with my clients. I don’t know if any of
you would be willing to do that either. Would you?

Am I being too paranoid about it?

I would appreciate some good seasoned input here.

Thanks so much for sharing your wisdom and/or your 2 cents.

Angela Hampton
Hampton House Jewelry

2

I must be paranoid as well. When I think of being on facebook and
telling the world I make ‘whatever’ and where I do this and then
tell the world I am on vacation and away from that location I mean,
who do you think are reading these pages? How much easier it is for
thieves to work now they can pinpoint where the ‘stuff’ is? Do you
really think rich art collectors are telling everyone on facebook
that they just bought another Picasso and which wall in their house
its hanging on. I truly wonder if people are thinking when they post
some of the personal stuff out there.

Sharron

3

Hi Angela,

I guess it depends on which suppliers, and how much custom work you
do. I do pretty much nothing but highly custom, one-off work. So
knowing that I buy from Rio or Stuller doesn’t tell anybody anything
they couldn’t have figured out with 5 seconds of thought.

I also do very, very little with stock components, so I don’t really
care if anybody knows where I get raw materials. It still doesn’t
tell them how to make my stuff, or even give them much of a guess at
my price structure.

On the other hand, if I were doing a lot of work that was mostly
component assembly, I probably wouldn’t want people to know where the
components were coming from. So I wouldn’t “Friend” that particular
vendor.

Just 'cause they want you to follow them doesn’t mean you have to.

FWIW,
Brian.

4

Hi Angela,

I have two facebook pages, one for me and one for my business. I
“like” whatever I want on my personal page and most of the fans of
my business never see that. I see your point though. If you’re not
comfortable with it, don’t do it.

I like to be fans of alot of pages so I see what’s going on with the
fashion world and other jewelers, I also like to see how other
jewelers use their facebook page. I don’t copy what they do, but
it’s nice to see other points of view.

Good luck,

Margery
Margery Hirschey
www.margeryhirschey.com

5 
Am I being too paranoid about it?

No. I think social networking sites are, at best, diversions. I
wouldn’t belong to one in any case. Life’s too short and the bills
too plentiful to be playing alone online. Also, security-wise, it’s
too easy to trust the wrong people on the interwebs. If you’re
working with high-end merchandise you want to use fake names like
NoMan online so scary people don’t look you up and visit…

6

Hello Angela, Sharing your customer list is not something you should
do, and it is not something someone should ask of you. Your not
paranoid.

Take care.
Tom Arnold

7

Angela,

No, I wouldn’t do it, nor would I waste any time worrying about
whether to do it. They’re already getting your return business and
your money – you certainly don’t owe them free advertising or
endorsements.

Lorraine

8

There is a big difference between personal and business pages and
what you will post what where. I may post to my friends I am away on
my personal page and I have my privacy setting set up so only my
friends see my posts, not friends of friends or everyone. On the
business page I would only post that Jim and I enjoyed time away
AFTER it has happened.

You do have to watch what you post on a business page…well, also
what you post on your personal pages. But if you have your privacy
controls correct only your friends can see your personal posts. You
can also make lists and set it up so only certain friends see
certain posts if you want (on the personal pages). However on
business pages whatever you post can be seen by everyone who follows
you, and theoretically those who they are friends with. That is both
the good and the bad about social networking.

And I agree I think a lot of people don’t think about what they are
posting on their pages, especially their personal pages.

Mrs. Terry Binnion
James Binnion Metal Arts, LLC

9

Hi Angela,

If you’re paranoid, I’m even more paranoid. Given Facebook’s track
record on privacy issues I’m more than a little skittish when it
comes to social networking. Personally, I avoid it like the plague.
But then it depends on your target market. Would you prefer to sell
100 pairs of earrings at $10 a pop or 1 pair for $1000? If you’re
going for the high end I think more traditional forms of promotion
will get you better results.

Just my 2 cents for what they’re worth in this economy.

Richard

10

excuse me, what about the businesses that are so large and getting
larger that are majorly expanding because of social networking? i
think thats one of the reasons social networking is made, to network
with business related things and social personal related things. i
can understand the paranoia about maybe someone seeing your suppliers
and maybe… but what are they going to do with knowing your
suppliers? it really doesnt make sense to me.

11

When I got my first computer my brother Dr. Jeff Haemer the Geek
told me to never ever put anything out there that I didn’t want the
whole world to see. So, no phone numbers, addresses, or sex tapes
here. I do believe that the internet is a very valuable tool for
promoting business, especially a very visual one like ours.

Social networking is important to keep your name and work out there.
Now instead of cocktail parties we have social networking sites. In
the old days of face to face networking I NEVER disclosed my home
address or phone number. So I don’t do that now on the internet. We
have a very discrete biz card. Simple classic Crane Stationary
classy cursive calligraphy. More like a formal calling card only with
our name and web address.

We make very high end jewelry. All of our work is sold before we
make it. Folks ask,“So where can I see your work?”

“Well, you can’t. It’s all sold. However we do have this web site
that shows our work.” They look, like our work and order custom
stuff. So we don’t sell directly from our web site, but it has
brought us more work than we can really handle. Yup. Even in “this
economy.” We’ve had the best year ever. We would have half the biz if
we didn’t have a presence on the web. And yes, I even post pics of
our latest work from time to time on my Facebook page.

As for paranoia? We have lots of guns in our home and studio. No
lost sleep here. Have fun and make lots of jewelry.

Oh, and step away from Farmeville, You’ve got jewelry to make.

Jo Haemer
www.timothywgreen.com

12

Angela, they may see your suppliers, but do they have the
talent/skill to do anything with the supplies? I think that most
customers ignore the supply store updates and focus on your art. I
have had suppliers on my sites for a year or so now with no threats,
although I only work in sterling, copper and brass. Please note that
my style of handcrafted jewelry is certainly not in the “fine
jewelry” category. Dawn

Dawn Lawrence Floen
http://www.sunshineindustries.ca

13

Probably because so many suppliers will happily cut out the
middle-man (jewelers) and deal directly with the public. Some
jewelers are uncomfortable with their customers knowing their
mark-up. One reason I like dealing with the Louisiana Leviathan.

14 
We make very high end jewelry. All of our work is sold before we
make it. Folks ask, "So where can I see your work?"

Well, you can’t. It’s all sold. However we do have this web site that
shows our work." They look, like our work and order custom stuff. So
we don’t sell directly from our web site, but it has brought us more
work than we can really handle.

Jo’s posting is just exactly the same as we are. Our website (gotta
update that thing one of these days…) is an online portfolio and
PR page for any and all to see. Jo-Ann uses facebook a little for
personal reasons, to communicate with family that communicates on
facebook. None of the folks we’re “friends” with who are business
relations really show much activity at all. Lots of friend
collectors…

I will acknowlege that we live in a different world now, but recently
somebody wrote on the topic of privacy paranoia: “Remember when we
used to hand over slips of paper with our name, address, phone
number, bank account and often even our driver’s licence number? They
were called “checks” and it was common practice.” So, yes, it’s a
different world today, and the re are real dangers with too much
online There’s also a point where it truly is paranoia,
though. Common sense is always a good idea.

15

This is slightly aside from the subject, but not too far.

A jeweler friend once made the inadvertent mistake of letting his
retail customer know who his supplier was for suchnsuch a thing, I
forget, doesn’t matter.

Customer goes online and finds out the jeweler’s cost on whatever it
was and insisted, rather vigorously, on being charged that price and
not a penny more by said jeweler who still would have to do his thing
to the article. He caved, worked for free, moans to me about it.

I fully appreciate trying to keep a customer. But my response would
have been to dramatically slide the item back across the counter and
say, “have them do it”. And I would have given that supplier a
freakin earfull.

So no, I don’t believe you’re too paranoid. In fact you are doing
the right thing, imho. Always play your cards close to the chest.

Reminds me of Ralph who worked for me many years ago. Cantankerous
Ralph. Image of Rodney Dangerfield in both appearance and manner.

Customer: Do you have ring guards?

Ralph: Yes we do, ma’m.

Customer: How much are they?

Ralph: Three dollars

Customer: THREE DOLLARS? Why so much? So and so jewelers across town
only charges me $1.50.

Ralph: Why don’t you go there then?

Customer: They’re closed right now.

Ralph: OOOH! Well, we only charge a dollar n a half when we’re
closed too.

Don’t get me started on Ralphisms. There’s not enough bandwidth.

16

There is no way I would put any of my supplier names somewhere that
my customers could easily see. This also is why I do not have many
links on my website, I have 4, and they are friends. I really should
remove them, I have never understoond why you spend your money for a
web site just to send them to your competition.

Bill Wismar

17 
So, yes, it's a different world today, and the re are real dangers
with too much online There's also a point where it
truly is paranoia, though. Common sense is always a good idea.

here is something to read and to think about
http://tinyurl.com/2vactwq

Leonid Surpin

18 
... This also is why I do not have many links on my website, I have
4, and they are friends. I really should remove them, I have never
understoond why you spend your money for a web site just to send
them to your competition.

Though I do not totally understand it either, google and the other
search engines look at links as part of the algorithm that
determines your ranking for the organic search. However it needs to
be relevant links (if you are selling jewelry having a link to a
restaurant is probably not relevant). It is only one part of what
determines your ranking. If you have none or few links I am not sure
how much it affects your ranking. At one time (and probably even now)
once it was learned that google looked at links, some people put a
ton of links on their website (relevant or not) and from what I
understand that is probably even worse than having none. Also they
look at who links back to you. This issue of links for SEO is one
reason most of us with websites get a ton of non-solicited emails
asking to exchange links…my advice on those: don’t do it.

Mrs. Terry Binnion
James Binnion Metal Arts, LLC

19 
I have never understoond why you spend your money for a web site
just to send them to your competition.

Because links are the currency of the internet.

Elaine
http://www.CreativeTextureTools.com

20

the other problem with google and the like, is that all the top
search spots are not there by having so many other links on their
sites. They are there because they pay google and other search sites
to be at the top. It is the only way to get there. I had a site many
years ago, and it was near the top of the google search. Until people
with a lot more resources started paying big bucks to get there. So
in my eye…why bother.