Using Trailfire to find digital kits of a certain type or promote a kit

Trailfire.com The idea behind this web tool is to create a trail through the internet on a topic. Its basically a list of web pages linked together on a common subject. For each web page you add to your trail, you can add a note about the page. These trails can be public or private. Here is Trailfire’s overview.

What could we use this tool for in digital scrapbooking? Well, I think one of the parts I don’t like about digital scrapbooking is if I want to find a particular type of kit, I go wander around digital scrapbook stores looking for that type of kit. Some people ask questions at DigiShopTalk.com and have others point to that type of kits. Some try search for it using google but this returns a lot of extra non-digital scrapbooking stuff. Although I finally created a google search just for digital scrapbooking. Have you tried it? Digital Scrapbooking Search So I think trailfire could simplify how users find particular types of kits, just create a trail of kits through the different stores.

Let’s say the particular type of kit is a heritage kit. There are some great heritage kits scattered throughout the digital scrapbook stores but to find them takes a while. What if you had a way to link up all those heritage kits together? That’s where trailfire.com comes in. I started a trail of Heritage kits. Digital Scrapbooking Heritage Kits As I or others (because its public) find more heritage kits, you can keep adding. Follow the trail and see if you like it! (note when I published this Scrapartist was down for maintenance.)

This could be done for those Template Lovers!. Create a trail of templates. Or for any other categories or subjects.

How could designers use this to promote their products? Create a trail of layouts done with a particular kit. Here I created a trail of Robyn’s England “Return to my Roots” of layouts using this kit. I know if I am thinking about buying a kit, I like to look at layouts using that kit. Also, it provides a service to your customers that do buy and gives them ideas on how to user your kit. Most designers already have CT’s spreading layouts around using their digital kits. Why not start the trail with those and happy customers would be glad to add to the trail. All it requires is a click of button. How can you add a trail to a digital kit in a store? Just add the trailfire public link to the digital kit’s description in the store.

Another features is you can add comments about each site you mark.

It’s kind of cool!

Other facts:

• Here is how you can create your own trail: Create Trails
• Trails can be private so only you and whoever you share with can see them.
• You can make trails public but no on else can add to them.
• You can make the trails public and allow people to add to them. That’s called a Wiki Trail.
• You can even subscribe to the rss feed of the wiki trail At the very top of the home page of the trail, look for the rss link and enter that into your favorite RSS reader. (Now I know when people add to the Heritage Trail.)

TrailFire’s help is pretty good and self explanatory.

Have fun with it.

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