Update | 6.12.2014 - Google+, Megan Hoeppner, Webster's Pages, more
Is the end near for Google+? Murmurs are getting louder in the tech community that Google+'s days are numbered after several ominous developments in the past few months.
First, in April, Google executive Vic Gundotra, the executive in charge of Google+, suddenly left the company citing family reasons. At the same time, it became apparent that many of the engineers responsible for building Google+ were being reassigned to other areas of the company. Then in late May, at a code conference in California, Google co-founder Sergey Brin told the audience that "It was probably a mistake for me to be working on anything tangentially related to social to begin with."
Google+ has never reached the popularity of Facebook and Twitter, achieving only a fraction of the active users in a month of their two major competitors, although it has found niche popularity in certain communities (like the photography community). Google has a history of killing products with avid user bases that it doesn't consider profitable or a success - most recently and notably Google Reader. It also has a history of letting products die a slow death by not developing or maintaining them - most notably at the moment Feedburner, which is also on a deathwatch in the community of online publishers that rely on it.
Which fate Google+ will meet - quick or slow - is the subject of much debate among the technorati currently. What is certain is that it appears the platform is no longer a viable target for building a long term audience or marketing plan on. Plan accordingly.
The Craft & Hobby Association has released the results of its recent member survey. Over 600 members participated and reported increased member satisfaction. Networking and facilitating of buyer/seller interactions remain top priorities of the organization's membership, as well as education.
Project Life is joining the myriad of things that you can use your smartphone for! The initial announcement on Wednesday didn't contain a lot of details, but promised that the app will be delivered before Christmas. In the announcement, Becky Higgins indicated the app has been under development for several years and is finally close to completion.
The summer releases for the fall/winter season are coming up pretty rapidly, and we're already seeing some sneak peeks. Heidi Sonboul has leaked names and logos for two new summer releases that will be revealed next month by her company Chickaniddy Crafts:
Jolly-Good-winter-collection-2014-Logo-Chickaniddy-Crafts-small
Scrumptious-logo-small
Webster's Pages has announced that they are joining the growing slate of companies that is releasing products monthly instead of in large batches centered around the trade show dates. And they are doing it with an impressive debut for their new "monthly mini collections", introducing an absolutely stunning line called Strawberry Fields:
Websters Pages Strawberry Fields
Despite being called a "mini" collection, Strawberry Fields includes 12 double-sided patterned papers, vellum overlays, double-sided storyteller cards, multiple sticker and alpha sheets, and glassine envelopes & labels. The designs feature a wonderfully summer-y array of flowers, fruit, maps, soft colors, and natural textures. To see the entire collection reveal, visit the Webster's Pages blog.
Megan Hoeppner, known to many in the industry as a former member of the Creating Keepsakes editorial staff, has announced that she will be teaching at Creative Live on July 23rd and 24th. Her class, titled "From App to Archive: Social Media Scrapbooking" will stream live on those dates from 9am-4pm (pacific time) for free, or will be available on-demand for $49 after the broadcast.
As if that wasn't enough to keep her busy, Megan has also just opened her own Etsy shop, Dawn on Me Delights.
The Craft & Hobby Association has announced that the Independent Retailer Conference will be hosting a "pop-up" show in conjunction with the association's 2015 Conference & Trade Show in Anaheim in January.
The Independent Retailer Conference offers education and other experiences specifically tailored for independent retail business owners, both online and brick-and-mortar.
“We strive to offer the best education to help craft businesses succeed. Our partnership with the Independent Retailer Conference will provide a wide variety of top-notch business seminars to help the independent retailer succeed. This is just one of the exciting new features you will see at the Mega Show 2015,” explained Andrej Suskavevic, president & CEO, Craft & Hobby Association.
“We’re excited to join the Craft & Hobby Association’s MEGA Show and deliver retail-rich, educational experiences while also introducing retail attendees to some fantastic businesses and industry leaders,” Independent Retailer Conference Co-Founder Nicole Leinbach Reyhle states.
