GCU Forum - Name Cards...

Doreen_137017

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Name Cards...
Oct 5^th, 2010, 7:27pm

Hi guys...sorry, totally frustrated and must vent.

I know that some of you like to make cards with names on them, but come on 35 pages of the same card with a different name on it...REALLY?

I did a search for sleigh because my blog theme is Flight and I thought I'd add some of our GCU artist's cards depicting different kinds of flight...with Christmas coming up, I thought Santa and his sleigh would be a good addition...

35 PAGES of the same card with different names on them and SLEIGH is only one word in the verse inside the card...there isn't even a sleigh on the front of the card!

I personally haven't the time or the patience to create these kinds of cards so I just make a version for my Zazzle stores and people can add their own name to the card. I do this FOR EXACTLY THIS REASON. If I was a customer who typed in Sleigh, I would have left, not made a purchase and most likely never have returned.

We have a limit of 3 policy for a reason and I too use the same design to make about 12 cards for different relations sometimes, but 1120 cards of the same image? How is that good for business at GCU? Not to mention it putting over a 1000 cards between page 8 and the last 10 pages of cards that should be seen within that search.

GCU, PLEASE find a way to eliminate some of this nonsense. I have never been to any other online store of any kind where I had to wade through that many pages of the same #$(*&(*#$ product to see the variety the store had to offer. There has to by a way to limit the exposure from searches and perhaps put an Icon on the home page that says FIND YOUR NAME CARDS HERE or something.

Sorry guys...it just got to me tonight. I find that it gives GCU an unprofessional appearance and I don't see the value of 1120 cards that all look alike except for a name. You know, its okay if GCU can't have it all...leave the personalizing up to sites like Zazzle and concentrate on giving the artist and customers tools to easily accomplish Custom Requests.

Okay...I feel better now...back to work.

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Patricia_131413 Full Member artist Posts: 135	Re: Name Cards... Reply #1 - Oct 5^th, 2010, 8:16pm I agree -
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Ernestine_131365

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Re: Name Cards...
Reply #2 - Oct 5^th, 2010, 9:20pm

I agree, Doreen. I have NEVER understood this multiplication of the same card and feel that is one of the biggest downfalls of GCU and believe it is the reason for many customers leaving and never coming back. (it IS the biggest complaint I've heard personally from friends.) There really does have to be a better way. This has been brought up MANY times on the forum and I do believe that GCU admin should bring this issue to the to the top of the list for EVERYONE's sake.

'e'

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Elizabeth_137795 Gold Member artist Posts: 724	Re: Name Cards... Reply #3 - Oct 5^th, 2010, 9:25pm AMEN to that!!!
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Gillean_137778 Junior Member artist Posts: 94	Re: Name Cards... Reply #4 - Oct 5^th, 2010, 10:18pm Yes I agree totally, I've had the same problem before. Gillean
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DENISE_132110

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Posts: 769

Re: Name Cards...
Reply #5 - Oct 5^th, 2010, 10:34pm

i have ranted on this before, given out the numbers and facts... maybe you will have better luck than i did. i hate to sound jaded but i have never understood.

I totally agree with this statement "I find that it gives GCU an unprofessional appearance and I don't see the value of 1120 cards that all look alike except for a name. You know, its okay if GCU can't have it all...leave the personalizing up to sites like Zazzle and concentrate on giving the artist and customers tools to easily accomplish Custom Requests. " undecided

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Pris_142271 GCU Newbies artist Posts: 32	Re: Name Cards... Reply #6 - Oct 5^th, 2010, 10:50pm Totally agree. I enjoy looking at the other card stores, but when its the same picture for 17 pages . . . . Well, its way past annoying after page 3. I don't have the time and I expect alot of potential customers don't either. Pris
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Rebecca_140932

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Posts: 624

Re: Name Cards...
Reply #7 - Oct 5^th, 2010, 11:47pm

Amen!!!!!! You tell it like it is. I also agree. The first time I took a look around on the site, I saw hundreds of repeat cards that totally turned me off. I had not even joined or anything yet. I was just looking around. The first thing I thought about the artist who did them was... how unprofessional. I also figured, a person who has to make hundreds of the same card must not be very creative, so they are desperate to make a sell with just their one card design. I can understand using a picture for a totally different card, but not the same card with different names or a year of birth, over... and over... and over... and over, again and again. That must be awful for the reviewers as well. I think it's just tacky that GCU lets that go on. It makes all of us look bad. No one wants to look through hundreds of cards of the same old design forever. I think it could be costing GCU more business than they know about. I think they should put a limit on the number of repeat cards you can make with one design, unless it is a special request by a customer (which should be noted to the reviewer). I think that reviewers should be allowed to stop this form of creative abuse, also. They are really good at their job, and I am sure that they hate this as much as we do. I am really glad to see that I am not the only one who doesn't like this. I support you Doreen, in your effort to rid GCU of the repeat card offender!

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Bits_139043

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Posts: 167

Re: Name Cards...
Reply #8 - Oct 5^th, 2010, 11:58pm

OMG Don't even get me started on this subject.

Time and time again I am getting 2 cards returned or refused because 1 has a frame and 1 doesn't and yet other artists are able to submit upwards or 40 cards all exactly the same other than the name.

I also get cards returned for edits if one of my key words isn't on the front of my card Shocked

Come on GCU set dow some guidelines please. It also turns away a lot of customers when seeing so many duplicates.

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Willaim_132003

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Posts: 433

Re: Name Cards...
Reply #9 - Oct 6^th, 2010, 3:58am

I agree, this is nuts to let peopel load 40, 50 100 cards all the same design and only a name change!!!. It kills it for others to be seen, it must take hours just to approve these awhile other designers cards are pushed back!!... we are supposed to be designers, not copys machines!... please come up with some solution for this GCU?

Thanks,
Bill

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DENISE_132110 Gold Member artist Posts: 769	Re: Name Cards... Reply #10 - Oct 6^th, 2010, 4:58am as of 7:55 AM EST. if you go look at the new cards approved the pages are over run with duplicates, card after card after card...
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Linda_132742

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Posts: 1796

Re: Name Cards...
Reply #11 - Oct 6^th, 2010, 5:21am

Amen to all of the above posts...PLEASE GCU figure out how to solve this issue, it is silly to have the "recently created cards" link if the viewer sees page after page of the basically same image...BORING...not productive, why not give exposure to "recently created cards by artists" or something like that,...Zazzle has a "today's best" thing...check it out? I don't want to be the bad apple here, I do love and appreciate GCU, but come on, the "wish list" grows and grows...
My 3 cents worth
Light and love,
Linda Roll Eyes

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Pamela_135500

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Posts: 1945

Re: Name Cards...
Reply #12 - Oct 6^th, 2010, 5:30am

I also agree with all the points raised here

but I have to say I don't agree with those that think the artists who have added cards covering all the names are unprofessional or not creative that seems a bit harsh and condescending. Sad

It's not my choice, but for those artists that did there has been no other way to do this at GCU, except for the new custom card feature which is not effective as long as a 'name' search brings up plenty of cards already. I feel they simply made a choice to offer names on cards and when the cards get displayed 'en masse' I am sure it makes them cringe too, the fault is with the system.

Showing only one sample of a design and a drop down menu was mentioned on many occasions but for reasons I cannot recall not an option. Perhaps it's time to reconsider?

Pamela

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« Last Edit: Oct 6^th, 2010, 7:07am by Pamela_135500 »

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Willaim_132003

Senior Member
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Posts: 433

Re: Name Cards...
Reply #13 - Oct 6^th, 2010, 5:50am

I seriously think it is time to limit some of these cards to at least a daily designer up-load limit... say 25 cards a day, this would make it easier for the proofers and allow a quicker turn around for all of us... plus break up the insane up-load of a hundred cards with the same design. The designer can organize these cards back to a group in their store and it would break it up in the catagory showing...

I just asked three coworkers to look at the Birthday, Thanksgiving and Christmas catagories and they all said it was bothersome and annoying to see this (one design and many names)

PLEASE come up with some way of controlling this... I am on other sites and NEVER see this on them!

Thanks, Bill

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Steve_134004 Full Member artist Posts: 222	Re: Name Cards... Reply #14 - Oct 6^th, 2010, 6:36am I TOTALLY AGREE! Who wants to wade through endless pages of essentially the same card. Cheers, Steve www.stevedelmontestudio.com
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