Evolution of our STAMP Blogging
Blogging on Stamps. We started our blog on stamps as a way to advertise part of our collections (stamps, coins, paper money, FDCs , covers, postcards, comic books, basketball cards, tokens etc); which we intended to sell or trade. We're really not stamp traders. We're collectors who, so to speak, would just like to re build and re balance our "collection portfolio". We have had limited to moderate success with on-line selling (ie www.ebay.ph / seller name: angela_m2m) and have been fascinated the way trade on the internet is actually so huge and is an industry in itself.
Initially, angelas-store was conceptualized to display items for sale, in the hope of reaching more people on-line and attract them to see our auction listings. Blogging doesn't allow auction site features, such as bidding, posting of feedbacks and history of past trades. It does however, provide a new venue for our items to be seen anytime by more people.
The first postings were random items which we previously posted for bids in auction. But seeing the possibility of the blog as a showcase of our favorite collections, we also started http://angelas-collections.blogspot.com (pls check out our links). We developed a cyberspace gallery of our collections. We sure are not finished here yet and there are lots of postings to be done here.
At this point, instead of being just complimentary or support to our auction listings, blogging in itself has become into a separate, enjoyable and fulfilling activity which enables us to share to others the collections we made over the years; very much like a museum. This time, our auctions were also inviting people to visit out blogs (but which we think is being frowned upon by an auction site).
Determining which items to post became a main issue and consideration. Thoughts with regards to collecting (such as this one) were also posted in order to develop a communication line with other collectors, to elicit responses or reactions, or to simply to share our views. Postings, were also tried to be kept within a "flow" in between themes. For example, current events were used as basis for starting points. Each posting thereafter were selected for its relevance,similarity or whatever connection it has to the previous one. Developing these links between postings was challenging, interesting, gratifying and enjoyable. But this somehow slowed things down. Postings had to be thought of a few steps ahead. It also removed spontaneity. Updating the blogs became irregular.
After visiting other blogs made by other stamp collectors (and we're sure glad there are many out there!); it led to a deeper appreciation of the potentials of blogging and developing/joining a community of collectors on-line. There is indeed a great variety of collectors. Posting items in our collections which interest particular collectors and inviting them to view the item and our blogs seems a good idea. But regualr visitors are still far and few in between.
The question really is what interests stamp collectors? This is what we should find out. But just as collectors are a diverse lot, so too are their interests. So, maybe we really can't give everybody what they want. But what we have, we can share. We will try to post more items in our collections, more frequently and with more information. We'll just hope that our visitors will enjoy them coz' we sure will!!!
posted by angela's @ 11:48 PM
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