Online Craft Communities – Tons of Ideas to be Found
Crafting is better when shared. At least that’s the sentiment behind numerous crafting communities available online. They provide a place to connect, collaborate, learn, and educate. Crafting communities enable like minded artists, designers, and crafters the ability to communicate and share their joy for their work. Here are three top online crafting communities:
Craftster.org is an online forum. It was created in 2003 as a place for crafters to share, post pictures, and even provide step by step instructions for their creations. It is geared toward the more adventurous crafts and crafters. They have a few fun slogans including, “Craftster. Uncork the possibilities,” “Knit fast. Die warm,” and “Craftster. Cheaper than therapy.”
Projects and blog posts are organized by:
o Category
o Date
o Whether a picture is posted
There are also a number of forums and blogs listed so it serves as a gateway to a number of other fantastic crafting sites and sources of information. Craftster also includes a calendar which tracks crafting events all around the world. Membership is free and users are encouraged to create a profile, to participate often, and to spread the word.
Getcrafty.com, Home of the Craftistas, is a comprehensive online crafting site. Getcrafty.com operates as a directory and lists:
Crafting forums
Crafting blogs
Stories
Pictures
Wiki
They also have their own forum, chat room and blog. It’s a fabulous, welcoming community of people who love Martha Stewart however do not aspire to be her. They believe in the joy of making things, of crafting, rather than the joy of perfection. The founder of the site, Jean Railla, also wrote a book titled “Get Crafty: Hip Home Ec”.
Membership at GetCrafty.com is free and users are encouraged to blog, chat, swap, and share. Membership includes a free blog, free newsletters, a free online picture album and tons of online crafting fun.
Crafterscommunity.com is another full service online crafting community. It offers a crafters directory, a list of top crafting sites, a banner exchange, and a pen pal service. There is a forum, featured crafts are listed and updated often. Featured crafts include pictures and step by step directions. Projects are also listed by holiday and type of project. For example quilting, paper craft, beading etc. The site offers a forum, chat room, and photo sharing. There is also a comprehensive list of projects which is updated regularly by members and facilitators. Membership is free and each month members receive an email with:
o Fun Craft Projects and Ideas
o News and Happenings
o Free Contests
To make the most of online crafting communities it is advised to find one community to connect with. Establishing a rapport with other members takes time and activity. To simply register and read the posts is fine however people who take this approach are missing out on the social aspects of an online community. A crafting community is a great place to make friends, learn, and to share crafting knowledge.
