DigiCaptures

Store Name *	DigiCaptures
How has zazzle changed your life? *	What was supposed to be my retirement has turned into a full-time obsession. I'm still trying to decide if that's a good or bad thing. On the positive side, I'm learning about design and marketing, two skills I really need to acquire to better sell my photography, be it on Zazzle or elsewhere. On the negative side, I'm not doing all the hiking and traveling I though I'd be doing once I was retired, and I'm definitely missing out on those the naps in the hammock that I was so looking forward to!
Zazzle is a... *	Full Time Job Addiction
What advice would you share with a friend or family member if they wanted to join zazzle? *
Run away, and don't look back! What? Oh, serious advice? A matter of perspective, that, but OK. You'll need to learn a five things to have a successful store. 1) First, you'll need discipline. This is hard work. You need to treat this like it's a real business, otherwise it won't work. Show up for work and do whatever it takes to make your store work. 2) Be professional. This is a business. You need to run it as such, which means that you need to be professional. You can have fun with other shopkeepers in the Zazzle forums or on social networking sites, but at the end of the day, your degree of professionalism determines how your customers, and peers, will view your store. 3) Learn how to market yourself. "If you build it, they will come," is hogwash. No one will come to your store if you don't let the world know it exists. Learn how to use social media like blogs, twitter, google+, squidoo, facebook, and whatever else you can figure out so the world can learn about your store. Just remember, spamming is not marketing. Learn the difference between the two! 4) If you don't have design skills, learn them. You don't need a degree in design, but you do need to take the plain vanilla shop that Zazzle offers and make it a pleasant and distinctive place for your customers to shop in. At the very least, make it pretty and keep it organized. The shop is for your customer. Make it easy for them to spend their time and money there! 5) Use the Zazzle forums! Learn from other shopkeepers. They've been there, they know the ropes, and they're willing to share their knowledge with you. All they ask in return is that you be courteous, and share what you learn in turn.
What other PODs do you use? *	Zazzle Redbubble
What do you do when you are not zazzling? *	I like to hike, preferable with my wife and our dog, but sometimes just by myself. We have mountains, desert, and riparian habitat in our area, so there's no lack of places to go to get away from the computer and life's other distractions. I invariably take my camera with me for I love to photograph landscapes and nature in general.
How many stores do you have on zazzle? *	2-4
Which do you prefer and why? 1 Mega Store or Several Niche Stores *	I think it depends on what kind of merchandise one sells. For myself, I do nature and travel photography. The two mesh together nicely so I think one store is sufficient for products bearing images of these two subjects. My other store is completely unrelated to photography, which is why it's not part of my main store. It's a true niche store, containing multiple designs on a single type of product. I created it so I could have some fun with it. And yes, I do make sales in this store! There's always a market for what you sell. You just have to direct it toward your store!
I usually work... *	On my laptop on my lap
A List of your stores *	http://www.zazzle.com/digicaptures http://www.zazze.com/crazyties