my site

[Sweet68cam]

After thinking about it all night, I think im having an issue deermining whats the truth and whats not when I do my research. Some of you say that you dont believe gov't sites and I cant say I disagree with you. But how do you desipher whats true or not when researching.:undecided Are there a few things to look out for? Are there certain organizations that I shoule be looking up? I put that stuff of my site because after searching I was led to believe that it was true. If I didnt believe it, I sure as heck would not have put it on there.

I dont want to use this as a excuse but im only 23, so I dont have to knowledge or experiance you all have with researching, deterimining right from wrong etc. And to top it all off, Im quite nieve (sp?) I will believe just about anything.

Bella I am not sure about gov sites, I think that there is truth in some of what they say but maybe not all and thats a maybe..lol But I do belive in OSHA they are pretty strict my husband deals with them alot, we have an oil refinery and a carbon black plant here in our town and they come down on them and their tests and restrictions are pretty strict. In all honesty here I would just try not to word anything that you could be liable for later, there are tons and tons of informational sites out there all of which could be true or not true, instead of doing the research on each of them my advice would be to just explain the benefits of YOUR candles not what everyone else says about soy if your candles burn good all the way down and are highly scented I would state that. I do not have a page on my site about the benefits of soy I did not feel the need for it, I explain my products and move on there really is no need to feed out any more info about soy or paraffin in my opinion. If you wanted to state something about the soot thats up to you but a known fact is both paraffin and soy soot so I would be honest about it and say leaves no black soot on the jar and leave it at that. Because that in fact is true (soot is white and you cant see it) But its not black so that would not be a lie. Just make sure you state no black soot on the jar not just no soot on the jar. I think that you are thinking about this to much and overwhelming yourself with it all, its just much simpler to state that facts about your own candles--how they burn and smell then the whole "soy" spill in my opinion. Dont worry you will get it;)

[bella soy]

Sweet,

That makes sense! Ill have to reword that one my site and make sure I mention no BLACK soot. That way there is no controvesy and it is true. (making a note now...lol) I can honestly say that I have never heard this fact until today on this board, doesnt mean it hasnt been discussed. I was under the assumption that soot was black and no other color. I didnt know that soot came in two different colors...lol you live and you learn right?

[roxi4112000]

poor bella:undecided girl quit listening to us, do what your gut tells you to do, you started your own business and it is YOURS and youll never make everyone happy, what should be a joyous moment for you has turned into you thinking you need to change everything, you know in your heart what you want on your site and everyones made a huge deal out of this. im so sorry, just listen to what we say with a grain of salt, but I love your site:D and you have a few changes to make. if you believe those govt sites, use them if your not sure then dont, but honey dont give up, just quite reading this thread as I think that it has changed from help to a bunch of kids having a fight. Keep up the good work on your site btw if you designed it your self, when are you gonna turn that into a business cause im buying:cool2:

[cozyaromas]

Bella, I just wanted to say I think your website looks nice, it's very clean and your products look nice. I also like the fact that you are incorporating some type of Bella club, which is cool. :highfive: As for the whole soy vs parrafin, I choose neither side as to me they both have their advantages and disadvantages. I personally like them both and I plan to offer the both of them on my website. My suggestion to you is to take the criticism with a grain of salt and learn from them. The adjusments now you make may save you headache later on.

[sudsnwicks]

so how am I suppose to describe my product?

You could put the focus on you and on your product, instead of on the ingredient. This would make you more unique amidst all the other soy candle makers who reel of the same list of benefits.

But how do you desipher whats true or not when researching.:undecided Are there a few things to look out for? Are there certain organizations that I shoule be looking up?

I agree this is difficult. There is so much information on the web, which is good for research, but also hard to weed out what's true and what's not. If the article is published by an organization who benefits from the sale of the ingredient in question, then you might not want to believe them so readily.

[bella soy]

thanks everyone for all your help. Ill try to be more strick with myself when I read a statement that claimes to be true before I autmatically assum that it is.

In my defense I was not aware that people actually print this stuff and claim that its true if it isnt. now wonder so many sites are false advertising, they are probably researching the same way i am.

As for my site it probably wont be ready till sometime in September. I have to make more candles and take more pics. So im purposly not adding a shopping cart yet.

[whiffandsniff]

This is the first time I have seen your site and I didn't bother reading through all 9 pages of posts, but I'm going to have to say that since you said you are using a blend that I think it'd be wrong of you to say that you make 'soy' candles. It says that you are the creator of soy candles and you're not. You're the creator of soy blend candles no matter the ratio.

Your logo should probably be revamped also, because I too thought you were selling only soy candles and someone who's looking for a 'pure' soy candle would buy one from you and never know that you were misleading them.

You have a whole section dedicated to soy as well which would also make the average reader automatically think that you sell 100% soy and most run of the mill candle makers have NO idea what soy blend means. Heck, I'd think soy blend means that you use different types of soy and blend them together!

I may sound like I've joined the forces to attack, but I just noticed that there are still stuff on your site that should be fixed before you open for business.

Have a great night!

[bella soy]

the logo is not changing. Im sorry I do not feel that it pertrays that I sell 100% soy candles. I dont have to have the word blend in my logo. The hang tag that I created explaines what my candles are made of. And yes is says soy blend.

I will be keeping the "benefits of soy page"

before it said "soy facts" which people got all upset about so I changed it and I did agree with them on that, they are not "facts" persay but good knowledge to know. Not everyone knows what a soy candle is. I dont want people going to my site and saying "well what soy?" and leave my site. The soy facts page may or may not be effective but only time will tell .

i also incorperated a quote right at the top of the page that states

"Creamy highly scented soy blend candles and handmade soap"

if thats not enought to tell people that they are not 100% soy then I dont know what is.

Oviously people are upset because im trying to portray that I make 100% soy candles. All im trying to do is let people know that there is soy in my candles.

I will also be lincluding the fact that I use a 70/30 blend on the front page as well. To let people know the ratio of the wax im using.

If you still dont get it then there is no help for ya

[SliverOfWax]

the logo is not changing.

If you still dont get it then there is no help for ya

If you still don't get it, there's no help for you! Your logo says PURE CLEAN SOY. If that's not false advertising, I don't know what is!

[Saltbox Pantry]

If you still don't get it, there's no help for you! Your logo says PURE CLEAN SOY. If that's not false advertising, I don't know what is!

She also makes soap and other bath products and it could pretain to that.

Bella,

I think your site is lovely, clean, fresh and pleasing to the eye. When I first saw your site the first thought that popped into my head was B&B products. Keep up the good work and I'm sure you will, one day get it the way YOU want.

SP:D

[SliverOfWax]

Cet, personally I love it when you get ON your soap box. An intellectual argument is a rare thing!

Thanks for the links, they are great

Dat.

Intellectual? It's completely off the topic.

[mystical_angel1219]

Bella, your site looks fab and your logo is awesome!!

I absolutely adore your logo. But I have to be honest. If I was a consumer on your website, I would think I was getting a 100% soy candle. I know that's not what you want to hear. However, it's truth.

People will argue day and night about the whole "soy" thing.

It's a very controversial topic. I do understand that you want to convey to customers that you make soy candles. I see many veteran candlemakers changing to soy because it's a hot marketing tool. I would suggest looking at the whole picture from a few feet away. Your site has GREAT potential. You want repeat customers. Perhaps it would be good to review the wording objectively and go from there.

Good luck to you in whatever you decide.

[whiffandsniff]

I'm sorry that what I said must have offended you, but you did ask us for constructive critisim and I thought that I gave that to you. I would feel completely had as a customer if I was buying a candle from somewhere because I thought it was soy and it was actually something that candle makers called a blend. You don't make soy candles. You make soy blended with PARAFFIN candles and that should be completely clear. I too sell blended candles and I make that clear when someone asks me what they are made of. I just think your logo misleads people.

[Late Night]

I didn't read through the other pages so if someone already mentioned it...never mind! But, I noticed on your "Contact Us" page you said:

"...ill be more than happy to give you my number."

It should be, "I'll be more than happy to give you my number."

[bella soy]

If you still don't get it, there's no help for you! Your logo says PURE CLEAN SOY. If that's not false advertising, I don't know what is!

Silver,

my logo is not a damn sentence. they are three different words divided by periods. They are meant to be three adjatives to describe the "feel" of my business.

[eugenia]

Silver,

my logo is not a damn sentence. they are three different words divided by periods. They are meant to be three adjectives to describe the "feel" of my business.

Have to disagree.

Pure Clean Soy

and

Pure.Clean.Soy

Both imply:

That it's clean

That it's soy

That's it's PURE. If pure is not referring to the soy, what the heck is it referencing?

You need to change your formula or your logo.

[bella soy]

This is not about my logo. I didnt aske for comments on that. i posted the logo about a month ago and everyone loved it, I had to change the wording then because people said that it portrayed that i was making 100% soy candles. So I changed it. My customer will be fully aware that I dont make 100% soy candles. As I said before, my hang tag clearly states it. All my litature states it. I plan to describe the benefits of having a BLEND candle on the "jar" page of my site when im ready to start working on it. Pure to me represents a feeling of calm, relax, simple, just how my site looks. Sorry if i look at the word differently then you. And i understand that some people might feel the same way but I cant please everyone. Those that feel Im false advertising just wont buy my candles and thats fine with me. I cant win them all. Also my soaps that I will have will be soy based as well. Thats where the "clean" comes in.

you guys have to remember that Im not done with this site. there is still alot of pages that need done and redone. The whole home page needs redone when I get more pictures that Im waiting to take. I dont like the layout of the pics and wording and I feel that i doesnt describe the products that I sell fully, so in a about a month check it again and you'll know its a blened candle by the time im done with it.

[BrandNewToCandles]

Wow, 10 pages. Hot topic.

Bella, I feel badly that your new site, in the BEGINNING stages, has been picked apart sentence by sentence. It's a shame that something that should have brought you great pride has caused such a commotion on here.

I agree with a few comments made here, the grammar needs to be fixed if only to make everything more professional, and if something isn't true then obviously it needs to be removed. Your customers need to know exactly what they're buying, absolutely, and if you feel that you're clear about that then that should be enough. I think that this whole thing has gotten way out of control.

My suggestion is to state the benefits of a soy BLENDED candle, which I assume still burns longer and cleaner, and avoid the whole soy / paraffin debate. (As a sidenote, I use both so I'm on neither side of the argument, I think much of it is hype anyway). There are some soy facts that can still be stated if it's a blend, right?

My other suggestion is to remember that it's YOUR business and these are all just OPINIONS. Do with them as you choose and keep everything you're comfortable with. And still be proud of your website AND your logo, everything looks great.

[Cetacea]

Intellectual? It's completely off the topic.

GASP! Like that's never happened before on this board....LMFAO!!!

And not completely off topic....debating the statement that soy reduces our dependency on crude oil.

[bella soy]

thanks brand,

i do in fact plan to talk about the benefits or a soy blended candle on the front page and the jar page. i think that paraffin brings alot of good qualities to a soy candle such as nicer look, and good hot throw.

the grammer needs to be redone and so does some of the wording. I havent submitted me site to any search engines yet so you cannot possibly know about the site unless i give the url to you.

[boggled]

Why is it acceptable for a major manufacturer to make false statements about a product? Here is a link to a major candle company's faq sheet.

http://www.soybasics.com/faq.asp

[Di_in_AZ]

I don't think it is acceptable at all. I just brought this up on another thread. Legally there must be a loophole on advertising claims. Why is it that companies claim a pill can make you thin or increase your bust size? We all know there are no magic pills but companies still claim to. There will always be outrageous sales claims and actually it is more down to the actual wording that allows them to do it. Whether it is considered acceptable, well that is down to the consumer, a matter of personal opinion.

[boggled]

Di

I agree it isn't acceptable.

Personally, I think that the newer candle makers see these claims, and figure why can't they?

It's a live and learn situation.

We all make mistakes, learn from them and grow.

Bella,

I like the feeling of your site, its refreshing. Keep tweaking and it will all come together. Take the constructive critisim for what it is and use it to make your site what it needs to be.

[Candlewitch]

Di, now i know why you posted that EPA again. I did not see this going on. Bella, keep the good work going. You need to re-add if you took off that soy burns longer. The right upperhand corner words are squished together on the main page. Your phrase in the logo is fine as long as you state that your candles are "made with" Pure soy wax, you fall into the guidelines. You do not have to change a thing.

[Di_in_AZ]

Candlewitch, getting just a wee bit tired of you following me around and stirring. The fact you do it on several boards is sort of scary. It is called stalking. Please stop. It really is sick and I am tired of your insinuations.

You are the only one on this board trying to get a division between soy and paraffin users. Stop already and quit telling lies. It is very unbecoming of you.