We'll Miss You Sara :(

Up until now I have been very happy with the organization that is Etsy, and really hardly any complaints at all. Sadly, that changed this weekend.

I found out that Etsy (for reasons they are unwilling to disclose) is terminating the position of Sara (sarawearsskirts) who has been Teams liaison. It occurs to me that Sara is the reason my opinion of Etsy personnel is so high. In the months since I've joined and shortly thereafter started Etsy Chainmaillers' Guild she has been the "face" of Etsy for me. A real person I can contact when I need something Teams-related (which is usually what I need), super helpful and friendly, and professional.

So needless to say I was disturbed when I heard that not only are they letting her go, but they're eliminating her job as liason. Now, Teams leaders cannot go in and edit their team page -- that's one thing Sara did -- so my first question is, who's going to edit the pages (personally I think Teams leaders should have been able to do this themselves a long time ago).

Most disturbingly, no teams leaders were notified of this, it was discovered backhandedly via Sara's blog and then Etsy forum thread. Why the secretiveness and lack of communication?

I think Etsy is a wonderful place to do business, but if there is no one to step up and take over what Sara has been doing, it will lose a lot of the "homey" feel that makes Etsy so beloved to me. I really hope they're not going for more of a corporate feel. :(

Sadly, there really aren't any non-vague answers from admin, although to their credit, it is the weekend. We'll see what Monday brings. All that was said was that another guy will be working with us and teams will be taking "a slightly different direction" in '09.

Needless to say, Sara, if you chance across this, you will be very much missed. To me, you ARE Etsy and so much of makes it what it is. I wish you all the luck in whatever you choose to do next; whatever it is, they will be very fortunate indeed to have you.

Oh, and here's the thread if you're interested. http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5942855&page=1

And Sara's blog if you know her and would like to tell her she will be missed. http://girlscantell.typepad.com/all_things_girls_can_tell/2008/12/end-of-an-era.html