To Add or Subtract Products?

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Funky Fractal Art All-Over Print T-shirt by FunFabulousFractals
Browse other Fractals Panel T-Shirts

Blue and White Abstract Geometric Pattern Pillow by FunFabulousFractals
Shop here for Pillows at Zazzle

Rainbow Explosion Fantasy Hightop Shoes Printed Shoes by LovelyDesigns4U2
View other Rainbow High Tops

Pink and Charcoal Houndstooth Sunglasses by LovelyDesigns4U2
Look at other Houndstooth Sunglassess at zazzle.com

Well it's been a while since I updated here because I felt overwhelmed during the holiday season that starts to really ramp up in November. Basically I was trying to keep on top of putting products in my shops but keep the overall number to a minimum. Since Zazzle introduced a ranking system for designers (only the designer sees it) it has become a constant struggle to find balance between 'decluttering' my shops, adding products, and promotion on social media. 

Being a rather modest type of person I find it difficult to promote my products a great deal but I do try. It just feels a bit like I am pushing a boulder up a mountain! I'd much rather let people find my products on their own but I know with so many other designers on Zazzle it would be very unlikely people would see my things without a bit of help (promotion). So I do what I can and hope I do not overdo my efforts. 

​I took a bit of a break in February when I tried to put a new operating system on an old laptop I own ; not having any experience with such a task I found myself needing more time than I had anticipated. Soon I realised I was rather obsessed with getting my laptop to be better than ever yet knowing in my mind that was wishful thinking. I did get the operating system on and found the necessary drivers but I remain unable to get my Windows Updates aside from the handful I got when I first put the OS on my laptop. Since then I have been unable to get updates even though I have the proper settings and dll files. I read somewhere about 'dll Hell' and immediately knew what they meant because I had loads of dll issues before I did a repair instillation of my new OS.

Why do different programmes have to share a common dll? If you delete something you think you don't need and it shared a dll with something you do need well you're not going to be a happy camper. That's what happened with my first install of the new OS and I was running out of ideas on how to fix the problem myself (being quite the novice) so I did a repair install. That helped but I still have issues with Windows Update. 

Anyhow, I am using my laptop with Windows 10 and leaving the Windows 7 laptop alone because I am liable to pull all my hair out if I have to work on it anytime soon. 

Right, well back to my Zazzle products and shops. On the .ca Zazzle site I have two shops and one of my shops fell from a 5 to a 4 (on a scale of 0-10) and the other is still at 5. On the .com Zazzle site I have three shops and two shops dropped from 5 to 4 and one stayed a 5. So I am a bit upset that my rank dropped, however I know it is likely because I ignored the shops that dropped for over a month. I do hope I can get them back to a 5 though because I hate to think I am not performing as well as I could. The issue at hand is do I delete items or promote like crazy on social media and my blogs or both? I'm leaning toward promotion because I have already deleted thousands of products from my shops and don't want to keep doing that. It is very demotivating for me.

​Okay, I will be back sooner with updates on my designs and shops.