I discovered ThisNext when a fellow jewelry artisan recommended one of my necklaces…thanks August Studios!! ThisNext  sends visitors down one of three paths: Discover, Recommend and Shopcast. The discover section lets users browse products recommended by others. Clicking on a item allows them to add it to their wishlist, recommend it, or find out where to buy the product. Users can recommend products by creating themed lists, or simply by clicking on an easy to install ‘Add to ThisNext’ browser button.

Appealing to the blogging crowd, ThisNext’s standout feature is shopcasting: bloggers can create small banners for their website. These shopcast badges either display their own recommendations or those of the ThisNext community, broadcasting the products they love or must have.

So I started playing around with it and here’s what I came up with:zurdesigns' recommendations at ThisNext

Here are some sweet products I discovered at ThisNext. Check them out!

There are also widgets you can create to put on your website or blog and there is also a way to post this all directly to Blogger or TypePad and code to embed for other blog types.

ThisNext, unlike some of the other social shopping networks does not have groups so it’s a bit more challenging to find other handmade artisans using this network.  They do have a rich and lively community which is highlighted by its Maven Program.   Mavens are the leading and most influential members of the ThisNext Community.  They find the most unique products from the coolest stores, find them first, and write informative and interesting recommendations.

ThisNext is definitely worth a look-see if you are looking to get your products seen in a wide audience.  The tools make it simple and easy to use because we all know that time is our scarcest resource in running our handmade indie business!  Have fun with ThisNext!!

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