26 Replies

Great topic Rae…. you nailed it on 1, 2 & 3 here’s a couple of others that I see

4. posting a rude or negative comments on someone’s beautiful cake that someone else’s was better…. recently happened to Cakes by Carol with her stunning chocolate ruffle cake…shocking!!

5. Asking how you did something…then not saying thank you….it’s just manners :-)

Oh good ones Jo!!! I recently had number 4 happen to me…..I was mortified! I think being creative types makes us a little more sensitive than most….but Jeez people, please be gentle lol! Thanks Lovely :) xx

Hi Rae, I agree with what both you and Jo have said, also its the age old problem of people with no manners.

So far I have been very very lucky and no one has been rude on my page. I did get an email from a lady written in a language I do not speak and when I responded thank you but I do not understand what she needs because I only speak English she responded in English that she speaks English. So I would say if you speak the language that is predominant on a page why would you email the owner in a different language? When I visited Paris I spoke French the entire time. Everyone really appreciated my effort and they were all so kind to me. If you speak the page owners language then speak to them in that language. It would be most appreciated.

Great point Kristen! I have used Google translate in the past but some of the garbled translations have been bizarre….so i certainly wouldn’t be confident trying to use it to reply to someone! Thanks Lovely :) x

Thanks Karen….manners seem to be going out of fashion don’t they?? A bit like common sense isn’t so common anymore haha!
I’m hoping we can get a list of easy to follow do’s and don’ts for newbies (and some older offenders) to scroll through and avoid the pitfalls we all stumbled through learning what to do and what not to do :) xx

I agree with everything that’s been said.

I also think if you’re going to ask another caker for help, it’s nice to say, ‘please’ rather than just comment ‘tutorial?’ or ‘recipe?’ under a photo. We may not be face to face, but good manners still apply.

In the same vein, I think it’s also polite to do a quick Google search on the subject you’re about to ask about to see if you can quickly find an answer before asking someone else. If someone asks me how to make marshmallow fondant, for example, I just suggest they Google ‘marshmallow fondant recipe.’ I’m always happy to help, but don’t necessarily want to become a substitute for Google.

I also think it’s nice to make a bit of effort to find the original creator of a cake even if you were just handed a photo to copy. Google lets you do a reverse image search and hunt for an original picture.

Go to Google and click Images. In the search box, click the camera icon and upload the photo you want to find.

Hello!!! I just consider very rude when ppl reach out to you just to ask how you made it without even saying they like what you post! At least be polite and tell the person you are loving what she/ he made that’s why you are asking about it! I recently posted that ppl could share their pages, so I was surprised to see that ppl that lives around me that had never said a word to me to support me before, shared their links on my pages! I wouldn’t do ever that, for me it was disrespectful! I’m happy to help anybody if they need something, just be polite:))

I agree with all the replies and your pointers too Rae.. spot on!!!

Rudeness: a big no-no!!! I will hit that delete and ban button, no second chances

Unkindness/negativity/spiteful schoolyard behaviour: I have only had one rude person who misrepresented me on her home page in a really bad way and I could not see it. I only got to hear about it when a kind person sent me the screen shot… but I did not react to in anyway, shape or form..it’s just not worth wasting my time over petty whining.

We are all creators, therefore artists and pretty sensitive ones too.. loads of hard work is put into our creations, not to mention the long hours and late nights, sacrifices and fitting this around family and daily responsibilities whatever they are. we love sharing and in a loving caring way as that is what this cake decorating is all about… keep it positive, joyful, empowering and caring of others

thanks Rae.. sermon over :) xx great topic!!!

Well to be honest i have never had anyone be critical or rude to me, but i am hardly in the limelight like you ladies….. I have been lucky with all of your praise , help and kind words, Calli you made my year and then some when you came to my page and also gave me a shout from you page (seriously i died and went to heaven) Rae i was mortified that the first contact I ever had with you was my epic cake volcano explosion lol, but you came to my rescue when you commented on my page to go look at your recipe, and lesley i have purchased one of your tutorials, phenomenal and we all know what amazing help you give…. So my point is if everyone takes a leaf out of your books and has the same approach and etiquette as you ladies , then what cake heaven we would have :)

What a wonderful positive message hon… I agree with it all… keep it positive, upbeat and fun!!! :) 99.9% of my feedback is positive and that makes me overjoyed :) it is a caring sharing colourful inter-alia community :) xxxx

Being rude is never a good thing and it says so much about the rude person. A wonderful customer gave me a picture of a Kate Sullivan cake and gave me permission to change the design to fit her event. My ex PA said after the cake was finished “it’s cute but does not look like the picture” . Negativity is a bad thing as I believe that we are here to encourage each other along in life.

Hello everyone,

I have just started out in the cake business, well i don’t even have a customer yet :( but all the above points are so valid. I recently purchased a tutorial from a cake decorator I admire a lot and she was quick to thank me for my purchase. when i created a facebook page I asked if she would consider liking my page. Have not heard from her since. I just thought since I am fairly new to this a little support would mean a lot. Of course as adults we can choose what to like and what not to, but i was so disappointed after that incident. I still have liked a page and will continue to do so. Why can’t we support each other? Its just such a shame though when i think about it. Anyways such is life eh? happy caking everyone :) x

Thanks so much everyone for your wonderful input and for keeping things positive :)
Robin – You shouldn’t be mortified over me knowing about your volcano cake (lol) I’ll let you in on a secret, I HATE baking….that’s why I have those tried and tested, fool proof mud cake recipes that I shared with everyone…I stick to things I know. Anytime you want a laugh and to feel REALLY good about your baking skills, come and watch me in the kitchen…I’m only happy once the oven is off haha!! :) xx
Pamz – I’m so sorry you’ve had that experience. Don’t give up on us, I’m amazed everyday at the wonderful sense of friendship, generosity and kindness in the caking community.
I’ve just popped over and liked your page :) xx

oh Rae… isn’t it funny how we all have different hates with cake decorating… perhaps another forum topic for another day.. I hate covering boards :) xx

thanks for this insight Rae and all :)

Oh thank you so much Raewyn. :) x

the lack of “please” and “thank you” is what really gets to me. And the not crediting the original artist OR posting pics of another cake artist’s work on your page & giving the impression that it’s your’s. SMH

one other thing.. when I see a new cake page, I always honour the person who shared it by going over to say hi and saying where I found them from, so that way, they have an opportunity to go back and say thank you to the original source :) …

Hi Pamz, I can relate to your post because I too feel that way from time to time, as I’m sure many of us newbies do. This is a vast cake artist community and sometimes it feels like you are an outsider peeking in just wanting your hard work to be noticed and accepted by the crowd, hoping your cake photos will be commented on or your facebook posts will be liked and shared, and sometimes it leaves you questioning your talents… But don’t worry, keep active on all the forums and facebook and you’ll find that soon you’ll make connections and build relationships within the community. I’ve been cake decorating for 2 years and still feel like a newbie and still have these thoughts sometimes but I have learned that hard work will be rewarded in good time and that this community of cake artists are very supportive and kind people. I live by the Golden Rule and many others should learn to as well, otherwise we have no time for them in this cake family. Thank you.

Thanks Maria, I’m glad you’ve found a positive response from the Cake Community, they really are a lovely bunch. Something I do that I know a lot of other decorators do is when someone interacts in a positive way with my page, I’ll go and have a look and often leave a message and like the page. I’ve found some amazing pages this way and I’m always keen to share fabulous pages on mine…sharing the Love ;) BUT, if someone comes to my page and asks me to like their page, even if they use their manners etc…I usually ignore it….I know, it’s probably silly but I really don’t like it. Just a little quirk of mine lol!
So I would suggest to anyone starting out, have a great profile pic. Something you’ve made that you’re really proud of and make sure it’s something easily seen when you do post on others pages. Think of it as representing you and your page….often people will see that little image and click over to your page.
Good luck :) x

Oh Calli!! That’s a REALLY good one!! I always feel so rude when I see my likes go up dramatically and you know someone must have shared something of yours but facebook makes it almost impossible to find out who so you can thank them :( So frustrating!! xxx

Hi Raewyn, that is a fabulous tip- same goes for the timeline photo – something to grab their attention when they come to your page. I agree, I don’t ask others to like me and frankly I’m quite shy about that too. I think in good time, and as my work improves and I create more fabulous cakes, the recognition will come. But I must say I do check out other pages when I’m asked to “like them back” and then just make a decision to do it or not.
And I always make sure to post on your facebook page when invited to share pics as well as Lesley’s, Peggy’s, Mayen’s, and others. It is a great way to connect with artists and share your work with others that might not ordinarily see your work, but once again only when invited to.
Thank you again!

Catching up with my email so I’ve only just read all your great comments. It all comes back to good manners. Treat people as you would wish to be treated and think before you type.

I’m new on this forum, but I wanted to add that I find it very rude when people realize that I’m a Strictly Gluten-Free Bakery they feel it is perfectly fine to email me and say, “Hi, I was hoping you could give me a good tried, tested and true recipe for white cake (example). I have never done gluten free baking but I have a customer asking for a small gf cake. I don’t have time to trial run recipes to find one I like.” Hello, now that is rude and it happens more often then one would realize. Are you kidding me, do you really think I will just give you my recipes that I’ve worked on for years to perfect. Anyway giving out all my recipes that have cost be hundreds of dollars worth of duds to perfect, will make my product, that I take great pride in, no longer special, one of a kind. When I decline to give out my recipe they call me rude.

I would never ask someone who specializes in a product for their personal recipes. I feel it is a line best not crossed.

I don’t know maybe it is just me, but I don’t appreciate the gull of some people.

Happy Baking, Sorry for the Rant.

MsGF

I think sharing advice and tips together is great and it’s what helps to make our community and strong one but it is all in the original question for me. I have had lots of people asking to see the internal structure of my Chicken cake but I’ve only shared it with a couple of people because, well they asked really nicely and weren’t ‘grabby’ about it.

Why anyone would leave a negative comment on someone else’s hard work is beyond me. We are all different and unique as artists so we should just rejoice in the variety it brings! :)

I completely agree with everyone about rudeness! I used to work part time at Michaels while the bakery was growing. I brought in some tiramisu cupcakes for the staff to try. I had one gal, who I didn’t really enjoy working with, who had the nerve to say “dude you should totally give me your recipe.” My response was a laugh and “yea right. This is my business”. Which she responded with, “oh I’ll just google it and probably find one that’s better.” Gee thanks!

I also had someone comment on a wall post on my Facebook. A lady had asked us if we did wedding cakes, which I replied YES and then gave her our email address to make an inquiry. Someone else, who didn’t like us, commented saying she could do a better job and for cheap! I removed the comment. I really wonder if the second woman realized that she was commenting on a business’s facebook.