I am so proud of the opportunity I get to write for my friends at Worthpoint (www.worthpoint.com) -- I hope you guys will take a look at past articles in their newsletter and enjoy some of the interesting memorabilia, and prop work we have gotten to do over the years.  Coming up for December is an article about what celebrities who collect want this year for Christmas by yours truly.  I think that is one that everyone will really enjoy!

Here are some of the neatest articles I got to participate in:

1.  The Adventures of Prop Girl - Men in Black III
2.  Antiques Auction Forum Podcast with Martin Willis as Host
3.  Mad Men HoJo Props
4.  Decorating Celebrity Homes
5.  Funkify your Holiday Home -- this is our newest article and I must say this was indeed one of the funnest of the fun to write!

Well that is it for now xoxo from us to you, and check us out at Worthpoint -- I think 2013 is going to be an even cooler ride!

How To Create Your Own Corporate Blog

One of the most important things in promoting your business, whether you are in a mall setting such as GoAntiques (www.goantiques.com) or you have your own website, is social networking.  Social networking has many connotations to it such as blogging, twitter, facebook, etc. Usually in our worlds, we tend to talk only about antiques, collectibles and memorabilia (or in my business movie props too).

However, when starting a blog we must remember one of the most important factors is going to be engaging your customer.  What is going to interest them to come and read your blog?

For the next few weeks I will be providing a HOW TO series for GoAntiques Dealers to follow regarding how to navigate the social networking jungle.   By jove we will get you blogging, tweeting, facebooking and surfing your corporate pages like a pro by the time I am done teaching you!

Today's HOW TO is on how to create your own blog.  We use Google's Blogger program for its ease of use in blogging.  You can sign up for it at www.blogger.com.

Blogging is not scary, its just a matter of taking the time to think about what you can say that will engage your customer base.  Remember once you blog, you can utilize the blog to create questions and chats on twitter and facebook, to gain more interest (but we will get more to that in the next HOW TO blog). 

Here are some short blogging tips to get you started.  All have worked for me, and in my opinion at least at the beginning is the best way to go. 

NUMBER 1:  Keep your title catchy and concise to what the subject is. The search engines will kick you out if you make know sense.  For example, my title is considered useful because I am teaching you "How to Create Your Own Corporate Blog". 

NUMBER 2:   Keep the blog short.  There are lots of bloggers out there that go on for days in their own world, too wordy, too many pictures, and too many funny stories that seriously only they are getting the jokes on.  Keep the blog short period.  People like short, it gets to the point.  This way they know what you are trying to tell them and they can move on, and perhaps try it themselves.  Could be why I never watch those videos people stick all over the place.

NUMBER 3:  Keep the typeface clean (use arial or times roman) and make sure grammar, punctuation and spelling all are perfect.  Use a graphic or picture ONLY if it truly will make a point in your blog post.

NUMBER 4:  Be witty, talk about things you know, don't rant, and keep your postings, short, sweet and personalized to what the topic is.  For example I think a great topic for someone who sells pottery might be a blog about how they are utilizing the new WorthPoint Marks & Library http://www.marksandlibrary.com/

I have given you four (4) very easy points to use in starting your blog, give it a shot.  

Look for my next HOW TO SERIES next week when we tackle creating the TWITTER ACCOUNT! How to tweet, have followers that will be meaningful to your business, as well as avoid being a glowing sandwich board of advertisements.  I did that when I first started and realized how uninteresting I truly was.  Another good point which we will explore next week is to leave off personal opinions or favorite quotes (such as make yourself a prosperous day!).  I can assure you nobody ever reads that nor wants to see that.  Another good idea which we will learn about is how to avoid pushing an affiliate program.  But I could go on and on thus ruining my article for next week, so you'll have to wait until then!

If you need help on writing your first blog post or would like to run some ideas by me you can contact me at Facebook: Laur Trueman, Facebook Corporate Page: Truetiques, Inc., Twitter: rvt01, email: customerservice@truetiques.com -- I'm always happy to help.  Laur Trueman has been a dealer with the GoAntiques Mall since almost it's beginnings.  You can reach her at anytime as shown above, she believes that each dealer should help each other out to succeed, as it will make the community stronger.

Six Weeks and a-Counting . . . the Launch of the New GoAntiques!

Launch date for the brand new GoAntiques is slated for late March; that’s within the next six weeks! I know when we originally spoke with GoAntiques, developers had projected a launch date of January, 2012. However, when revamping a system that is extremely old, glitches happen. Being the perfectionists that they are, they did not want to roll out a product that would have bugs springing out of the walls that would cause headaches for their dealers and buyers as well. I agree with that philosophy. After all, there would be nothing worse than sitting there, loading inventory and then having it crash!

So, now that I told you that bit of news, you’re probably wondering what the new GoAntiques going to look like. Let me share as best I can. The interface is completely different from the one you are using now. It is a clean system, esthetically pleasing to the eye, and with sellers having their own storefronts. Some of the new features include the ability to globally change items in one click—for item X, putting certain items on sale, changing shipping, etc—and dealers will be allowed to put their own links on their storefront page. GoAntiques is confident in its ability to reach the traffic that is so desired by dealers when joining an online antique memorabilia mall. Dealers will be automatically fed into the most popular search engines such as Google, Google Shopping, Bing, etc. There will be an additional feature that will allow dealers to send their items to major shopping sites such as Shopzilla.com, Shopping.com and others.

Another really cool feature is the ability for each individual seller to accept credit card as well as other sources of payment (PayPal, check, etc.) You will not have to apply for a merchant account, as GoAntiques will set this feature up for you. Studies show that the more payment options you can offer your customers, the better chance you have to sell your item.


Well, I have blabbed enough for now. As they say, the showing is in the details, so take a peek at the screen shots below and give me a holler if you have any questions or would like a better understanding of the new system. You can contact me at customerservice@truetiques.com, via Twitter me at rvt01, Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoAntiques or come to our user group by locating me as a friend @ Laur Trueman at Facebook. I’ll answer any questions you may have on the new GoAntiques product! I can’t wait to hear responses. There is so much I haven’t covered, so ask away.

Load up the cannons, kids, I’m ready to answer!



Laur Trueman is a dealer on the GoAntiques Network. You can find her at Truetiques, Inc. and she is always available to help all her fellow GoAntiques Dealers out with questions, how to optimize your listings, becoming social media savvy for your store, as well as anything else you want to throw her way.

WorthPoint Articles Past and Present by Truetiques, Inc.

It is always with much pride that I get a chance to write for our friends at WorthPoint. Here are some past and present articles we are very proud of that we have been able to share with the fans of WorthPoint .

- Valentines Day Gifts at the Last Minute http://www.worthpoint.com/article/specific-last-minute-valentines-day-gifts

- and other fun articles we have written for WorthPoint http://www.worthpoint.com/author/laura-trueman

SOMETIMES LOYALTY IS EVERYTHING….

Recently I have received a tremendous amount of emails from people asking me why I am so unwavering in my support of the team at GoAntiques. Soon the brand new “GoAntiques” (which will have a totally new vibe and format) will be rolling out in March, 2012, thus I wanted to address all the questions, before the new site hits!

Most people expect magic to happen immediately. If that is what you are looking for, then you may as well look to other sites to turn over your stuff cheaply, and quickly. To make a meaningful impact in your pocket and in your business, you need to nurture it and find the right place to sell on. I think we have been on every site on the internet through the years, and not one has compared to GoAntiques (www.goantiques.com) for us.

The most important part of why I support and stay with GoAntiques and am happy to promote them, is the customer service department. Nobody, in our opinion is comparable to the service that is provided at GoAntiques. At anytime, we can contact a representative and they will stay with us, to resolve an issue. They listen to suggestions, and most importantly they back their dealers up. They don’t play that blame game, they realize that although our customers are important, so are the dealers, and not always is the customer being fair to the dealer.

I would like to share a very personal true story to you guys. A few years ago I was very ill, and had to go for chemotherapy and surgery. I called GoAntiques and spoke to Jason Robins (jason.robins@worthpoint.com), the Director of Sales Support. I will never forget Jason telling me to “relax, and take it slow”. He told me that he would watch my store, and he would check in on my staff to make sure everything ran smooth. Just the way he spoke to me, I knew everything would be okay. That year I went into the hospital twice, and both times, Jason made sure my store stayed up, ran smooth, and checked with my staff on a daily basis. You cannot get better than that.

Loyalty is everything. That is what GoAntiques has over the competition. Live people who care and have loyalty to their dealers. They have your back. You cannot get that with any other site on the internet. It’s a family, and we are building a village. The new GoAntiques will roll out in March, 2012, but we will be demonstrating the site at The Original Miami Beach Antique Show the first week of February. Tune into Facebook on the GoAntiques page for details at www.facebook.com/goantiques - we are working on getting a live web link up the day we launch it.

If any of you guys want to pick my brain give me a yell at customerservice@truetiques.com -- remember, without a site backing their dealers up, you have an incomplete experience that is skewered and unfair in so many senses of the word. I will always support the team at GoAntiques. They have proven to be true friends, professionals, and had Truetiques, Inc. back more times than I can count!

DRUM ROLL PLEASE .... COMING SOON THE NEW GOANTIQUES

It’s been along time since there has been an antique memorabilia site that can really fill your soul.

It is true, we have sold on just about every antique collectible memorabilia site that exists on the internet. We have left almost every site in turn. Not one of them has truly lived up to their hype, except for one. Only one has kept us interested enough to stay on, ride the storm of economic dissent, and has remained the number one site we still sell on and promote. That would be GoAntiques -- a site with heart and soul. (You can either click on the hyperlink for GoAntiques or visit them by typing in to your browser www.goantiques.com)

I can now share some exciting news from my friends at GoAntiques that will make all antique memorabilia dealers hearts sing! The entire team has been working around the clock, to bring the website into the groove with social media, dealer webstores, forums for dealers and buyers to use, as well as a fully updated interface that is not only easier to use, but will be pleasing to everyone's eye.

I caught up with Jason Robins, the Director of Sales & Support (you can reach him at jason.robins@worthpoint.com) to get the lowdown on the changes and the launch date.GoAntiques is changing in so many ways next year, I think it will be beneficial to all dealers and buyers alike. Check out some of the changes coming your way in the first quarter of 2012 for GoAntiques.

Q: When is the official opening date of the new interface?

A: Will probably be the last week of January or a little before. There will be a full demonstration at the Original Miami Beach Antique Show which starts February 2nd. Complimentary accounts will also be awarded (for a limited time).

Q: What cosmetic changes are being implemented for the new site?

A: We are going for a cleaner look and feel, something that is easy to navigate. This will help buyers and sellers find what they’re looking for faster. The new layout will be more inventory focused and our member pages more customizable.

Q: What are the new tier plans for dealers?

A: There will be 3 subscription plans. The entry level will be about the $25 and the highest level $75. Each level has a specific benefit package including listing volume and marketing exposure through inventory distribution on partner sites. WorthPoint subscriptions are also bundled with some plans.

Q: Are dealers bound by a contract?

A: No longer. Each plan is a month to month deal which continues ongoing unless the member decides to terminate. We are confident that the new GoAntiques will retain dealers because it will help their business in many ways.

Q: What social media is being planned for the new website?

A: We have been very successful at engaging our members on Twitter and FaceBook with our WorthPoint website. We’re going to engage our GoAntiques Buyers and Sellers the same way. Articles, news worthy stories, and answering questions generated by our users will all be a big part of our social media outreach.

Q: What sort of advertising will GoAntiques devote to promoting the website and traffic to the site?

A: The launch will be supported by publicity, ads in trade publications; social media; WorthPoint.com site exposure; and partner co-marketing both in the US and the UK. As in the past, there will be ongoing marketing support through partners and SEO that will draw traffic. In addition, the WorthPoint Shopping Assistant is now active on WorthPoint.com which showcases items for sale by GoAntiques dealers when a user searches for the same or similar items.

Q: Will each dealer have their own online storefront?

A: Yes, we’ve offered this to our members in the past as well. The new member pages will feel more like individual websites than they have in the past. We’re working on the finer details now, but I can tell you that the dealer will have a lot more control over the look and feel of their page.

Q: Will I be able to import my listings from other sites I sell on?

A: Yes, we have a couple different ways of doing this. It’s usually best if you’re able to export the inventory into a tab delimited file for us.

Q: What product portals will you be advertising the site on?

A: We’re still in the early stages of programming for this but we’re going to allow our sellers to choose where they want to send their items. Google Shopping is done for you automatically by GO, but say you want to get more exposure for a few items. You could then send the items to Shopping.com and Shopzilla.com for little or no fee depending on your membership. We’ll continue to add more options as we move forward and we test which sites have the best conversion for antiques and collectibles.

Q: What is the advantage of buying from GoAntiques as opposed to other sites? A: It’s a combination of things; being able to set your FIND Item Alerts, you tell us what you’re interested and we’ll email you when it becomes available. GO Dealers will be able to access those alerts now. So, they’ll be able to post an item to the site that they know a buyer is waiting for. We’re also adding a new “Make an Offer” system and a Clearance Section. Buyers will be able to find great deals even more often and check out faster with our new shopping cart. Above all the new Go is a site dedicated to putting our members in charge – they pick their own store; identify their alerts; choose where their inventory is displayed and what offers they want to see.

Sounds pretty exciting to me! Now for all of you that only thought I was an avatar, I will be at the GoAntiques Booth in Miami with Jason and the team! See you then. I hear there might even be a sighting of the CEO of Worthpoint, the very knowledgeable, William Seippel.

If you want more information give me a yell at facebook at our webpage for Truetiques, Inc. - twitter us at rvt01 or you can good old fashioned email me at customerservice@truetiques.com

You can visit my friends at www.goantiques.com and www.worthpoint.com very exciting changes coming for all!

Prop Girl Rides Again

We love working with our friends at www.worthpoint.com - made up of a team of incredible professionals, it is always fun to write a new piece for their newsletter. Hope you like my newest installment on props for Men In Black III. Just click the title above to be taking to our newest endeavor! Hearts, Peace & Cheerios, Truetiques