Small Changes - Big Project

WOW!

This morning I decided that I'm going to pay $20 to feature my All-in-One Bulletin Board: Molecular Genetics on Teachers Pay Teachers next month.  (I'm hoping everyone is following a similar pacing guide, and will hit THE CENTRAL DOGMA OF BIOLOGY at the same time I will.)

From September 19th through the 22nd, my product will be featured at the top of the product listing page (IF the user selects to sort by SCIENCE and 9-12.)  I can use my earnings to pay for the promotion, so I don't have to put up any money up front, which is really nice.  

Because I'm featuring this product, I decided that I needed to go back and make sure I applied the advice I got from Misty Miller, as well as make a few minor changes to my logo and preview page.

I needed to :
1. Copyright EVERY page
2. Include my PLEASE READ: Terms of Use, Follow Me, Provide Feedback, and Credits pages
3. Update my thumbnails and previews with a watermark

Of course, its never as simple as 1,2,3.  First I had to update my logo to include a font that I know I had purchased, therefore have commercial copyright permission to use.  Then I had to go in and update the image on my PLEASE READ document and the thumbnail for the preview.  While I was in the preview, I also moved the blocks around to make the product description more visible.  Then I had to edit a typo on the Follow Me page, create the Provide Feedback page, and edit the Credits page.  Once all of those minor changes, that took 2 hours, were done, I was able to insert the PLEASE READ pdf into the existing pdf.  I had to add in the copyright text on each page and I finally was able to upload the modified document 3 hours after I began.

I hope that now my edits will be faster, all I will need to do is insert the copyright and the modified PLEASE READ document into each of the All-in-One Bulletin Board files and then upload to TpT.  I know I need to edit my bundle so that they contain the copyrighted pages, and then I'll have to make time to do the previews and modify the thumbnails.  But, that is not happening today.  Today, I'm done with TpT, and on to grading tests and entering grades online.

Have any of you had to modify your TpT materials?  Have you found a simpler way?

Learning how to improve my store

I did what every great student needs to do, I asked for feedback.  I wanted positive words of encouragement and constructive criticism on my overall look, pricing, and quality for my Sunshine State Science store on Teachers pay Teachers. 

I went on to the forums and I asked for input.  And from the 6 responses I got, I was very pleased.  I had some great insight on what to include from Misty Miller, who's blog, http://justathoughtortwotpt.blogspot.com is just a treasure trove of helpful hints for anyone that wants to improve their Teachers Pay Teachers store.

Misty has GREAT advice, and better yet, EASY TO FOLLOW instructions on how to improve almost every aspect of your store.  Her first suggestions for me were to include the copyright on every single page of each document, add a Terms of Use and Credits page (along with info on how to Follow Me), and finally to add hyperlinks in my product descriptions.

    


Over this long Labor Day weekend, I took her advice.  I created the documents she suggested, and I included them on my TWO new products.

It will be a loooong time before I get a chance to edit EVERY SINGLE ONE of my 71 products to make sure they are up to date.  But I will do at least one per weekend until Christmas Break, and then I'll reassess.  (I also have to be sure to switch out my clipart ~which I think is all public domain and copyright free~ to be sure that I'm not infringing on anyone's intellectual property rights.)