Weekend Recap – April 23, 2011

Well, it was a short week but an exciting one! In just a couple of days, we’ve already helped out some artists with various issues, scattered some inspiration around, and had a great time jammin’ with our community peeps. So in case you missed the fun, here’s a recap of what’s gone on:

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FROM THE COMMENTS

LINKING TRICK:
Corrie (hey, that’s me!) taught a neat trick for linking to a page of related cards at GCU. First, do a site-wide search on GCU for your keywords INCLUDING your artist or store name, such as “corrie kuipers scooter cow.” This should bring up all the cards of YOUR design. Then copy and paste the URL wherever you want. Voila! If somebody clicks on the link, they’ll get that same page of cards, too.

SQUIDOO-BE-DOO-BE-DOO:
Sher gave us the valuable advice that the maximum width of a photograph or other picture you want to put into a Squidoo lens is 25o pixels.
Moonie at Moonlake Designs started a new Squidoo lens about We Love Cake.
Elizabeth has a Mother’s Day for Special Mothers lens.
Bright has a Squidoo lens about Art Appreciation for Kids.

When you make a new Squidoo lens, in addition to using the Amazon, Zazzle, etc. modules to make a little moolah, why not include your GCU cards as well? You can have up to 9 outbound links to GCU per lens, which is plenty to promote greeting cards without seeming spammy. Not sure how? Check out our latest Squidoo tutorial (link below).

NEED FOR FEED:
Want to add the GCU Community blog to your RSS news feeder so you can stay on top of all the latest? Here’s the link you need: https://gcucommunity.com/feed/

DON”T MISS:
This week’s GCU Community Newsletter.
A tutorial on linking GCU greeting cards in your Squidoo lens.
This week’s A Dash of Inspiration…A Cup of Creativity by Doreen at Salon of Art.

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COMMUNITY SHOUT OUT
Thanks to the artists who responded to our request for guest bloggers. If you want to volunteer to write about a subject close to your heart on any topic you think will interest and inform the community, get in touch. We’re also seeking artists who’d like to have a favorite/bestselling card spotlighted here. If you want to get some free exposure, contact us about being in the Designer Spotlight.

If you haven’t already, don’t forget to send in your links to your blog, Squidoo lensmaster profile, Twitter or Facebook so we can add you to our roll calls.

Got a question about GCU you want to Ask Mindy? Send it in to us and we’ll pass it on!

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COMING UP
What’s with the star on the right side of the page, you ask? In a few days, we have an exciting announcement to make about a new community-wide project we’ve been working on. We’ll give you a hint: if you haven’t started a blog to promote yourself and your designs, you’re going to miss out on the fun.

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A PEEK BEHIND THE SCENES
Shhhhh… (peering around)… come closer. I have a secret to whisper in your ear. Are you sure you’re alone? Okay, my spies at GCU headquarters have let me in on a super hush-hush project that’s very close to completion. From what I’ve heard, this new project is just for the artist community, and it’s going to totally rock! I’m already a little verklempt thinking about it. Stay tuned, ladies and gents… I’ll  have more breaking news for you as it comes in.

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CONTACT US: You can get in touch anytime at gcucommunity(at)bigdates.com