Before you begin this you need to have a Google Account. They are free, so you will not need to worry about being charged for any part of this….. Now that you have an account proceed. Also I am using basic information for my blog for this example. However since I already have this feature on my blog, I am not using the generated code. So don’t worry I don’t have this personal information out there.
Now if you read my other tutorial, How to set up Google Analytics Account for Blogger, and remember how to set up a google account then you are ahead of the game. You get to Pass Go and skip directly to Step Nine. If you haven't then start with Step One.
STEP ONE:You will need to go to the Google Anayltics Site:
http://www.google.com/analytics/. On the main page you will see the blue box with the Access Analytics button on the right side of the screen. Click the button and it will take you to the next page where you will set up the account.
STEP TWO:On the second page you will see in the top right hand corner of the page your account email and account information. Next to My Analytics Accounts there is a drop down menu of all of your other web analytics accounts. At the bottom of the list is the option to “Create New Account…” You are going to want to click on this option. This will bring up the next page.
STEP THREE:The next page is a simple single button click. This page is simply more information on the features and benefits of having an analytics account. You will need to click on the “Sign Up” button to get to the next page.
STEP FOUR:This is the real information you need to be concerned with for the analytics account. You will need to list your website’s main url, in this case you will need your shop URL. You will also need to name the analytics account. This is the name Google Analytics will use on the main page. So when you set up another analytics account for your Etsy Store you will be able to distinguish. Then you will be asked to list your Country and Time Zone so that they can use time stamps that will be accurate for you.
STEP FIVE:This is the contact information you will need for setting up your account. This is basically so that they know whom to address when they send you an email. This is also letting them know that the person signing up for this feature is the person connected to the email account. You will need to put in your Last then First name as well as you country. If you forget to list your country you will get a error message and they will hold you on this page until you do.
STEP SIX:On the next page you will have to accept the Terms of Service before you can proceed.
STEP SEVEN:Now you are down to the nitty-gritty. Google has generated code for you to use. You have a couple of options in number 1. Don’t mess with these. You want to leave this as a single domain, which is the default. In number 2, you have the generated code. You want to make sure you select it all. I would click in the box and press CTRL-A to select all then CTRL-C to copy. For a Mac, you are going to press Apple-A then Apple-C. This will give you the code Google will need to be able to track information.
STEP EIGHT:Now that you have the code. In most cases you would need the whole code to set up the Google tracking. But Etsy has set up a feature which means that you only need a sting of the code. On the ninth line which should look like: var pageTracker = _gat.getTracker("UA-########-#");. You only need the part that is UA-########-#. This is your personal google tracking code. The rest of it is just telling Google to look at the number and what to do with it. So write the number down or copy it.
STEP NINE:Now you need to go to the Etsy site. You will need to log into your account to set up the google tracking number. Once you have signed in you will need to click on the link "Your Etsy".
STEP TEN:On the left hand side there is the secondary links for your account. You will need to scroll down until you have found the "Shop Setup" area. The seventh option is Web Analytics. You will need to click on this one.
STEP ELEVEN:You will see the Etsy Web Analytics page with an insert field where you will want to put in the Google tracking number: UA-########-#. Once you have the field filled out then you will just need to click the "Save Changes" button.
STEP TWELVE:Once you click the button then you will see the statement: "You are all set up!" If you see this you have done everything correctly. If you get an error then you need to make sure that you listed the number correctly. This is why I suggest cut and paste.
Now that you are set up all you need to do is wait for the statistics to come rolling in. I would give it a few days then go back to Google Analytics to see the rewards.
So I watched Stranger then Fiction this weekend. It is probably one of my favorite movies. It is also one of the few movies where Will Ferrel plays a non-goofy character. It is all about the concept of the relationship between the writer and the character. You can watch the movie from his point of view. His life is overtaken by the voice of the writer, who seems to be in control of his life. A writer about to kill him with the stroke of a key... a final punctuation. From her point of view her character, who often refuses to participate, has sprung to life begging for his life. This man who was just an impression, a personality is now flesh and blood. All of which is punctuated by a third character Harold's wrist watch. This watch seems to be aware of the story as it unfolds. It tries to warn Harold of the events moments before they happen. 
So I just created a Light Box. I took a Staples box, that was once the holder of several reams of paper, preformed surgery and came out on the better side. I have yet to use it to take images of my wonderful pieces. But, I know that they work. 
I am back to blogging. (And I know the irony that this is the second or third post in a row to say that.) It is amazing how you will suddenly not having anytime when you find a project you want to work on. 
Posting later today then I normally do. But, this is worth sharing. I woke up this morning to that wonderful feeling. I sold another piece. It always feels good. The best part about selling a piece is that I now get to reinvest that money into more beads. This means eventually more pieces, and hopefully more sales. It is a nice growth cycle. 
Over the past few weeks, I have been take more time out of my schedule to cook. I am cooking a healthy home cooked meal three times a week. So I have been going to the Farmer's Market near my home. This allows me to get the freshest fruits and vegetables at a fraction of the cost. The moment this really struck me was last night in the grocery store when I saw organic tomatoes on the vine for $2.78. At the Farmer's Market, I got the same thing for $1.28. So if you have one near you, I suggest finding it and take a trip out there to scout out your options. You do however want to look up their health code scores online. You don't want to go to one that has problems with health code violations.
After a long string of Bead & Button magazines, I ran across the "year's best" book. It is an amazing collection of all of the highlighted pieces from the year. And, I have to say there is a good reason these pieces were in a magazine.
(This is the second post in the Book Review for Crafty Superstar. Make sure to read part one, in last weeks Thursday post.)
Tonight I am watching Julie & Julia. Right now I find the two stories to be inspirational. Julia is an inspiration because she found a passion and without hesitation pursued it. She made her way through Paris learning to cook from people who didn’t believe in her. So with the loving support of the people around me I feel thankful. Then there is Julie’s story that is wonderful. Her desire to maintain a blog that she loves makes me appreciate mine more. I enjoy getting to sit down and spending time putting my thoughts out into the world. It is also nice to see how she writes about her trials through cooking. It makes me feel better about writing about my own.
