Hello, I don't have any particular person to post about but I'm seeking advice on what other artists feel about, or how they deal with customers that insist on being in constant communication via an instant message service like Yahoo Instant Messenger or Skype. Particularly if they seem to always be there, always wondering if you're done with the commission yet or not.
I try to keep in touch with the people I'm doing commissions and have been taking strides to be better at it by sending updates by email, and if there is a period of time that I may be busy with something else (such as, most recently, finals week for a collage class I had) I let them know by email and or leave a journal on Furaffinity where they commission me from.
Every once in a while someone would ask to get on my friend's list or request to communicate by Skype and this person will always be there, wondering what I'm doing at all times, and sometimes it gets in the way of actually finishing the commissions. It gets to be intimidating sometimes because it's so frequent that I don't always have something to show, and thus I'm in the uncomfortable position of explaining why I haven't had done any further work yet in wake of spending my day doing other things. Usually when this happens the customer often requests additions to the commission before I'm finished with what was originally agreed to.
Anyone?
I try to keep in touch with the people I'm doing commissions and have been taking strides to be better at it by sending updates by email, and if there is a period of time that I may be busy with something else (such as, most recently, finals week for a collage class I had) I let them know by email and or leave a journal on Furaffinity where they commission me from.
Every once in a while someone would ask to get on my friend's list or request to communicate by Skype and this person will always be there, wondering what I'm doing at all times, and sometimes it gets in the way of actually finishing the commissions. It gets to be intimidating sometimes because it's so frequent that I don't always have something to show, and thus I'm in the uncomfortable position of explaining why I haven't had done any further work yet in wake of spending my day doing other things. Usually when this happens the customer often requests additions to the commission before I'm finished with what was originally agreed to.
Anyone?
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Do not let them bully you into adding more work onto your plate. They will have to learn to keep their distance and pestering you every moment you get on will not get their image done faster.
If they refuse to abide by your wishes, then refund them and reuse any progress if you can.
Customers do not need that information and if you're using a service like Gmail it keeps all your correspondence to a neat little stack.
Save yourself the headache.
In the end it's up to you. If you don't want to give out your IM client info to someone, that's perfectly okay. I agree with Sigil above, I gave a commissioner my IM info and they would IM me every day to the point where it was bothersome, even if it was just casual conversation. I've only had 2 commissioners where they haven't turned out to be bothersome after giving them IM info.
Stick to e-mail for business, it's better for administrative purposes too.
Another reason is that I don't like random furries contacting me for no reason, and turning off FA notes and keeping my Skype private cuts down on that a lot. I get extremely frustrated with people who send me notes or IM me with "hi how are you" like I'm supposed to entertain them. I don't have a lot of patience for social weirdness like that.
I'd definitely just remove the IM information and/or block someone when it gets to be too much. I've had to block a few past customers before not because they were rude or abusive or anything but just because, even AFTER their commission was finished, they just insisted on messaging me several times a day for no reason and it got very distracting and upsetting. My email and notes are always open to everyone, even those that have commissioned me in the past, and I don't think anyone is entitled to more than that. Providing alternate routes of contact is a courtesy and a privilege.
This is why I no longer make my IM public. I am glad that someone was happy with my work via trade or commission, but that doesn't mean we're suddenly friends. It takes time and many conversations (preferably non weird ones X_x) before I venture that with anyone. I don't do free art save for people I've known for a long while or who I am a fan of their work. That seems to be an issue lately on the 'net, people think a correspondence or two equals BFF and it is bad enough when this happens via notes, IM is even worse. Blocking doesn't always work either as I have had a guy go through three different SNs before I just hid myself and limited my IM to buddies only.
I think as long as you politely say "sorry, I don't give my IM/Skype/whatever info out", then they should accept that and bugger off. If they get upset or constantly mention how they wish you would, I would ignore any of those please and finish the commission, unless it gets to be a bit much.