Rebecca Cruz

I’ve posted the following in the forums but have decided to create a journal entry on it also, it’s something I feel strongly about!

I’ve said the following before in bits and pieces in response to different forum topics on group and buyer issues, but I feel it really does need to be said fully and in it’s own thread.

I believe that until RedBubble implements a categorization method for artists to sort their images and buyers to find artwork, many of the issues and dissent we are seeing with groups will remain. I also believe that without this image categorization, many potential non-member buyers become frustrated with attempting to find images that suit their needs.

It seems to me that a vast majority of RB members view groups as nothing more than a way to sort and categorize their images. Flower images are submitted to a Flower Group, not because the artist has a passion for flower art and wishes to participate with a group of equally passionate Flower Art enthusiasts, but rather simply because their image has a flower in it and they believe submitting it to a group is the best way to categorize their art for it to be found by potential buyers.

Because of groups being used for image sorting they are not being used as artist-interactive communities. This leads to overwhelmed and frustrated hosts and artists, resulting in hurt feelings over rejected images, anger over group guidelines and general unrest and upset. Many seem to believe that not being able to include their artwork in a group is limiting their exposure to buyers. When in reality, the likelihood of a non-member using the groups to search for their next artwork purchase is very slim.

Many wish groups to be more interactive and participatory, however they are at odds against those who have no desire for this and simply want a place to sort their images.

If we had an image categorization method, independent of keywords, buyers would have an easier way to locate the artwork they are searching for. A buyer would have the option to choose (for example) Photography – Nature – Flowers and would then be presented with all flower images, regardless of what group that image belongs to.

I think that with this system in place, groups would be much more likely to become what I see they were meant to be: Communities of like-minded artists that wish to participate together and share a passion for a particular artistic subject or medium.

This categorization feature, to me, is one of the most essential features that RB could implement. Most importantly, it would facilitate buyers in making their way through the multitude of images on the website and secondly I believe that when members understand that groups are not meant for categorizing their artwork for buyers, it would go a long way to solving many of the issues we are seeing with groups.