Historical Blog Posts / Changelog
This post contains the historical archive of all EntryThingy blog posts from 2009-2017, compiled from the original blog by founder Chris Ritke. These posts document the evolution of EntryThingy from its early days through various feature releases and community highlights.
2009
June 2009
Time-Lapse Server Update (June 29, 2009)
Server update introducing the ability to accept different file types within the same show, streamlining the submission process for mixed media exhibitions.
July 2009
New Feature: Printable Entries (July 24, 2009)
The new printable entries feature allows artists to print out their entries. This allows art shows to accept payment through the mail and artists to have a paper backup of their entries to send when registering by mail. When artists print their entries on paper there is a place on every page to sign and date.
August 2009
EntryThingy is a NAIA Member (August 28, 2009)
We just became a contributing member of NAIA! It's a great organization that is helping to make the world of art easier and better for artists and festival directors. Among other things, they have been developing a great art fair database.
September 2009
Presenting at the NAIA Conference in Peoria (September 25, 2009)
Chris presented EntryThingy to the participants at The 2009 Director/Artist Summit Conference in Peoria, Illinois.
October 2009
New Feature: Entry Image Wall (October 16, 2009)
If you're an admin or juror, you can now see a new "thumbnail" tab at the top of the admin entries list page. This shows all entry images at once in a wall format.
New Feature: Entrants See Their Entry Status on Main Page (October 21, 2009)
Entrants can now see their entries and status right on the main show page after logging in. They can also view their entries after the deadline has passed.
November 2009
Moved to Ojai, California (November 25, 2009)
We moved! Our new home is in beautiful Ojai, California, about 20 miles east of Santa Barbara. This is a really small town surrounded by nature and full of art.
December 2009
New Feature: Admin Add Entries (December 5, 2009)
Directors and administrators can now add entries for artists who have sent their applications by mail. This helps keep all entries in one central system.
New Feature: Entries List/Image Wall Filter (December 6, 2009)
You can now filter the entries list or image wall by typing an entrant's name or entry number. The list updates automatically as you type.
New Admin Stats: Entries per State (December 14, 2009)
Shows can now see how many entries they receive from each state, helping understand their geographic reach.
Loads of Cool New Features (December 27, 2009)
Multiple new features were released in a batch update.
New Feature: Set Max Length of Entrant's Description (December 29, 2009)
Shows can now set a maximum character length for the description of work field to ensure consistency.
2010
January 2010
Happy New Year! (January 1, 2010)
We replaced the Twitter widget with a full blog with commenting capabilities.
Video: Gallery Widget, Commenting, Moderation (January 4, 2010)
Added commenting and moderation features to the gallery widget with a recent comments column.
Art Fair SourceBook Ranks Art on the Square #1 (January 6, 2010)
Art on the Square in Belleville, Illinois was named the #1 fine art show by Art Fair SourceBook.
On EntryThingy Pricing (January 12, 2010)
We use Amazon Web Services infrastructure to keep costs low - just $2 per entry with no setup or monthly fees.
Bonita Springs Art Festival (January 14, 2010)
Highlighting the show that inspired the creation of EntryThingy.
Working on Entrant Email Alerts (January 17, 2010)
Preview of upcoming email alert features for entrants.
Updated Director/Admin Tour Video (January 22, 2010)
New video tour showing all functionality including the entrant emailer.
I Want to Send Emails to My Entrants (January 24, 2010)
Released the entrant emailer feature allowing targeted emails based on entry status.
Backups Now Stored on Other Side of Continent (January 26, 2010)
Moved backup storage to AWS West Coast facility for better redundancy.
Entry and Jury Fee Payments with PayPal (January 29, 2010)
Guide for integrating PayPal payments with EntryThingy.
February 2010
Soliciting Art Exhibition Proposals (February 3, 2010)
How to use EntryThingy for collecting exhibition proposals, not just jury applications.
How to Show List of Shows Instead of Registration (February 7, 2010)
Option to display a list of shows as the default view instead of the registration form.
Styling Your EntryThingy (February 11, 2010)
Full CSS customization capabilities for matching your organization's branding.
Asking for Artist Statement and Resume (February 15, 2010)
New fields for collecting artist statements and resumes during entry.
New Video: Adding a Call for Entries (February 26, 2010)
Detailed tutorial video on creating a new call for entries.
Token History (February 28, 2010)
Transaction records showing all token usage for better accounting.
March 2010
Artist Space Assignments (March 5, 2010)
Assign booth or space codes to accepted entries for show planning.
Storing 30,037 Files = 28.328GB (March 13, 2010)
Usage milestone showing the platform's growth.
Home Page Improvements (March 27, 2010)
Simplified home page design with "Get the Code" moved to separate page.
April 2010
The Call for Entries Deadline (April 5, 2010)
Added "Deadline for Late Entries" feature for extended submission periods.
How Did You Find Out About This Call? (April 11, 2010)
New option to track marketing effectiveness by asking entrants how they found the call.
Search for Artists in Gallery Widget (April 14, 2010)
Added search functionality to find specific artists in the gallery widget.
May 2010
Show: Art Dimensions/Materials Filtering (May 5, 2010)
Filter entries by dimensions and materials for better organization.
EntryThingy is Now "Elastic" (May 7, 2010)
Migrated to Amazon's Elastic architecture for better performance and scalability.
Barry Witt Speaks About EntryThingy (May 11, 2010)
Director of Bonita Springs National Art Festivals shares how EntryThingy transformed their show from 35mm slides to digital, highlighting cost savings and features like online galleries and juror tools.
EntryThingy Spring Tour (May 12-26, 2010)
Series of posts about visiting shows using EntryThingy across the country.
What a Trip (May 30, 2010)
Returned from user visits with valuable feedback, implementing space codes in emails, category breakdowns (accepted/waitlist), and planning features like admin notifications and jury commenting.
June 2010
Art Shows' Relevance/Audience Alignment (June 6, 2010)
Explores how art shows create relevance through curation and how gallery widgets can extend a show's value beyond the physical event, maintaining audience engagement online.
Postcards! (June 13, 2010)
Sent 500 promotional postcards to organizations that could benefit from EntryThingy, expanding outreach to new potential users.
Tabs vs Commas in CSV Files (June 17, 2010)
Technical explanation of CSV export formats.
Artist Gallery on the Drop-In (June 19, 2010)
New drop-in gallery feature for artist portfolios.
New Login Page (June 25, 2010)
Redesigned login interface with improved layout and clearer navigation paths for artists, jurors, and administrators.
July 2010
Look Out - The APIs Are Coming! (July 2, 2010)
Announced plans for API development to enable third-party integrations and expand platform capabilities.
Admin Entrants Search (July 8, 2010)
New search capabilities in the admin panel.
How to Apply to ArtStreet Green Bay (July 18, 2010)
Tutorial specific to a show's application process.
Automatically Set Artist Login (July 23, 2010)
New PayPal integration automatically marks entries as 'Submitted' after payment, eliminating manual payment reconciliation and streamlining the entry process.
Printable Artist Entries Update (July 29, 2010)
Improvements to the printable entries feature.
August 2010
Artist Statement Specifications (August 3, 2010)
Guidelines for artist statement requirements.
New Postcard (August 8, 2010)
Released updated promotional postcards with refreshed design and messaging for continued outreach efforts.
New Login Page (August 13, 2010)
Implemented login page improvements based on user feedback, enhancing navigation and user experience.
Improved Artist Entry Process (August 18, 2010)
Streamlined the entry submission workflow.
New Entry Process is Now Live (August 23, 2010)
Launch of the improved entry system.
Sort Admin Entries List by Any Column (August 28, 2010)
Enhanced sorting capabilities for administrators.
September 2010
Entrants Can Skip Main Page (September 2, 2010)
Direct links to entry forms bypassing the main page.
New Gallery Widget Features (September 7, 2010)
Additional functionality for the gallery widget.
Chris Ritke on EntryThingy (September 11, 2010)
Founder's perspective on the platform.
Visual Improvements to Entry Pages (September 16, 2010)
UI/UX improvements for better user experience.
Administrator Entry Notes (September 21, 2010)
Private notes feature for administrators.
EntryThingy is on Facebook (September 26, 2010)
Social media presence announcement.
October 2010
New Options for Sorting Calls (October 1, 2010)
More ways to organize calls for entries.
Admin: Change Category (October 10, 2010)
Ability to recategorize entries after submission.
How to Style Specific Elements (October 13, 2010)
Advanced CSS customization guide.
How to Run Calls for Entry in Canada (October 17, 2010)
International usage guidelines.
Entrant Profile vs Entry (October 22, 2010)
Clarification on the two-step process.
Why Don't I See Any Entries? (October 28, 2010)
Troubleshooting guide for common issues.
November 2010
New "For Artists" Page (November 3, 2010)
Dedicated resource page for artists.
Art on the Square Success Story (November 9, 2010)
Case study of a successful show.
Number of Entries per Week (November 14, 2010)
Analytics showing entry submission patterns.
EntryThingy Tour of the Southwest (November 17, 2010)
Regional tour announcement.
An EntryThingy Milestone (November 20, 2010)
Celebrated reaching 50 art organizations using EntryThingy, marking significant growth and adoption across the arts community.
EntryThingy Facebook Fan Page (November 25, 2010)
Expanded social media presence.
December 2010
Multiple Art Voting Rounds (December 2, 2010)
Support for multi-round jury processes.
EntryThingy Server Communication (December 8, 2010)
Technical details about server architecture.
Change Number of Admin Entries per Page (December 14, 2010)
Customizable pagination for administrators.
Rob Jones on Jurying Visual Art (December 20, 2010)
Expert perspective on the jury process.
Nice Example of Artist Image Wall (December 27, 2010)
Showcase of the image wall feature in action.
2011
January 2011
Profile Details on Entry Confirmation (January 3, 2011)
Enhanced confirmation pages with profile information.
New Image Gallery Options (January 9, 2011)
Additional display settings for galleries.
How to Setup a Call for Entries Video (January 15, 2011)
Video tutorial for new users.
New Art Checklist Download (January 22, 2011)
Downloadable checklist for artists.
Improved Signup, Login and Profile Pages (January 29, 2011)
User interface improvements across key pages.
February 2011
Update Status by Category (February 5, 2011)
Bulk status updates based on entry categories.
Yay! 100 Art Organizations (February 12, 2011)
Major milestone celebration.
Introducing MemberThingy (February 19, 2011)
New membership management tool launch.
New Image Download for Catalogs (February 26, 2011)
Bulk image download feature for catalog creation.
March 2011
Organization Name and Location (March 5, 2011)
Enhanced organization profiles.
New Review Entries Page Feature (March 12, 2011)
Improved entry review interface.
Map of Current Calls for Entry (March 19, 2011)
Geographic visualization of active calls.
Email Alerts for New Entries (March 26, 2011)
Real-time notifications for administrators.
April 2011
New PayPal Button Wizard (April 2, 2011)
Simplified PayPal integration.
Hide Contact Form on Sign Up (April 9, 2011)
Customizable registration forms.
Art of the Call Podcast Series Begins (April 16, 2011)
Launch of interview series with art professionals.
May - December 2011
The blog during this period featured numerous "Art of the Call" podcast episodes, interviewing directors, curators, and artists about the call for entry process. These included conversations with professionals from galleries and art centers across the country.
December 2011
Introducing MemberThingy (December 2, 2011)
Full launch of membership management features with $2 per payment pricing, online member reports, image galleries, and member emailer.
2012-2016
During these years, the blog primarily featured "Art of the Call" podcast episodes, with each episode focusing on different aspects of the call for entry process, featuring interviews with:
- Gallery directors
- Art center curators
- Festival organizers
- Individual artists
- Arts administrators
These episodes provided insights into best practices, common challenges, and success stories from the field.
2017
March 2017
Download Token History (March 5, 2017)
Export feature for token transaction history.
New For Artists: EntryThingy Demo (March 15, 2017)
Interactive demo for artists new to the platform.
Eating Our Own Dog Food (March 25, 2017)
How EntryThingy team uses their own platform.
April 2017
Entry Bookmarks for Jurors (April 5, 2017)
Jurors can bookmark entries for later review.
After a Break, Let's Get Back to the Blog (April 15, 2017)
Return to regular blogging after hiatus.
Entries Per Week Analysis (April 25, 2017)
Data insights on submission patterns.
May - November 2017
Continued "Art of the Call" podcast series with various art professionals.
December 2017
Entrant Name in PayPal Item Name (December 1, 2017)
Improved PayPal transaction tracking.
New Feature: Web Page Links (December 8, 2017)
Link to external pages from EntryThingy.
Suggested Calls in Entry Confirm (December 15, 2017)
Cross-promotion of related calls.
WordPress Problem Resolution (December 22, 2017)
Technical issue resolution.
Introducing CollectionThingy (December 24, 2017)
Launched CollectionThingy, an image-rich descriptive system for collectors, appraisers, archivists, and curators to manage and share visual collections from anywhere.
New EventThingy: Manage Your Events (December 26, 2017)
Released EventThingy for comprehensive event management, handling employees, volunteers, schedules, shifts, documents, and checklists with a free trial available.
New Login Page (December 28, 2017)
Final login page redesign of the year.
This historical archive represents the evolution of EntryThingy from 2009-2017 under founder Chris Ritke's leadership. The platform grew from a simple entry management system to a comprehensive suite of tools for the arts community, always maintaining its commitment to affordability and ease of use.