10 Questions with Drex Davis, CEO of Scrapjazz.com

Although Scrapjazz has been around since 2002, it's gone through some changes from time to time. With the recent new look of this user-friendly site, I thought it would be nice to get to know the new owners. You know, the folks behind the new Scrapjazz.com.

1. Who owns Scrapjazz.com? Who works for Scrapjazz.com?
   
   Scrapjazz.com is owned by Scrapbook.com. In mid-2006 Scrapbook.com purchased Scrapjazz.com and Scraptutor.com. Prior to that time, Scrapbook.com was one of the largest advertisers at Scrapjazz.com. Over that time, Scrapbook.com became very impressed with the previous owners of Scrapjazz.com, as well as with the community and educational resources at Scrapjazz.com. The opportunity arose to acquire Scrapjazz.com, so Scrapbook.com acquired it. Everyone who works for Scrapbook.com also works for Scrapjazz.com. Everyone has responsibilities for both sites, to one degree and another.
   
   
2. Scrapbook.com has acquired several companies in the past few years; exactly what else do you own?
   
   Scrapbook.com also owns ComputerScrapbook.com, Scrapbooks.com (the web property formerly owned by Keeping Memories Alive), ScrapTutor.com, and Scrapjazz.com.
   
   
3. Any plans to combine companies and/or message boards?
   
   No plans at this point. Each community and site operates on its own and is doing well on its own. We will potentially integrate each site's content more closely in the future, but each site has its own strengths. For now, combining them does not make sense. If it ever does make sense, we'd do it. By "make sense" we mean "will be a net benefit to the customers and users of the sites." If we felt like combining the sites would add more value and be a better experience for the communities, we'd do it. For now, though, things are going great running them as separate sites and communities.
   
   
4. Scrapjazz has released the Scrap Tutor CDs, but are there any future plans of manufacturing other scrapbook-related products?
   
   At the moment, we do not have any plans to do so, though we do continue to turn out and sell educational E-Books regularly. Our strength lies in providing scrapbookers and papercrafters with online communities, with information and education, with online retail storefronts that carry relevant and timely products, and with what we believe is unparalleled customer service. We really don't have any expertise in creating or manufacturing scrapbooking products.
   
   
5. How does one get the attention of Scrapjazz.com to become a featured member, article contributor or a blue crew member?
   
   When we are looking for new contributors, featured members, or blue crew members, we'll reach out. Either we'll identify someone whom we have come to know in the community, or we will post a notice on the message boards and interested people will respond. The best thing to do is (a) become involved in the community and (b) keep an eye on the message boards from time to time for any announcements.
   
   
6. Do you scrapbook?
   
   LOL. Let's put it this way . . . I have scrapbooked. I grew up in a home where scrapbooking was activity #1 from the time I was a little tyke. Right now, my world consists of operating a company in the scrapbooking world, but no, I'm not like a Lance Anderson (Rusty Pickle) who has a real scrapbooking talent and spends a lot of time doing it. Most of my time is spent on somewhat mundane tasks like paying bills, reading sales reports, approving budgets, etc. I'm not one of the more creative people at Scrapbook.com (when it comes to scrapbooking) but I do have creative outlets. Almost everyone at Scrapbook.com does scrapbook, however. There are formal company crops a couple of times a year and informal ones quite regularly.
   
   
7. Since Scrapjazz.com is family owned, how do you manage keeping business and family separate? Do you talk business at birthday parties?
   
   Work does occasionally come up. Actually, I suppose it comes up regularly. There's no real effort to keep it separate, so long as everyone wants to discuss it. If anyone, away from work, doesn't want to talk about it, the rest of us won't. We try and make sure that whatever comes home, it's not the stress. Scrapbook.com is owned by my parents, and all of their children are adults with their own families, so it only comes up outside of work when we all get together. I understand that lots of families that work together find that it's contentious and not good for family relationships. We haven't found that to be the case. I enjoy working with my parents and siblings.
   
   
8. Who predominantly runs Scrapjazz?
   
   Everyone has a role and we take a team approach. I suppose that I or one of our other managers probably lead the discussions, but everyone on our team has input and responsibilities.
   
   
9. Scrapjazz.com is loved because of its family-like message board. How do you manage to keep it so positive and weed through trash talk?
   
   We've had a policy from the beginning (and it's carried over from Scrapbook.com) that we'd rather have the best and most supportive communities, rather than the biggest, regardless of the cost. So what that means is that we're very quick to ban people from the site who bring unsupportive or "snarky" participation to the boards. People with an axe to grind, or who like to tear others down, usually find their stay at Scrapjazz.com is short lived. That's not to say that people can't disagree civilly or have strong opinions, only that if things get personal or people are just plain mean, we'd rather they go to other sites where that sort of activity is tolerated.
   
   Most people online are nice and supportive folks who are coming to share and learn and make friends, but they'll only come out and participate if it's "safe" for them to do so; so you have to "protect" the well-intentioned people from people who don't have good intentions so that they feel comfortable sharing of themselves online.
   
   We try and create a place where people can come and feel better when they left than when they arrived. We feel very fortunate that so many wonderful people have chosen to make Scrapjazz.com their online home.
   
   
10. When you meet somebody for the first time, how do you describe to them what you do for a living?
    
    Usually I tell them that I help run a family business in the scrapbooking industry. If I know the person well (and I'm not meeting them for the first time, but they're finding out what I do for the first time), I tell them that I work to help people document their lives and the lives of their loved ones through memory preservation. I get needled from some of my friends who think, as a man, I must stick out like a sore thumb in this industry. But the truth is that I feel very at home in the industry and love the people involved with it. I love working in an industry where I feel passionately about the good it does in the world. Some of my most prized possessions are the books my mother has made for me, both my books and those she has made about my children. It bonds me to her and to my family and helps me remember our journey through life together. That's what scrapbooking is all about.
    
    Some of my best friends have come from the industry and I love getting up each day to come to work. I still get seriously impressed by the creativity that people come up with, both products and layouts. But mostly, I love the stories. I get moved by the layouts I review and look at and read. I try to spend some time each day just surfing the galleries, seeing what people are scrapping about. Some of the stories people share are so moving you find yourself getting choked up, or so funny you find yourself laughing out loud. It really feeds my soul. I love working in an industry that helps people be creative, bond socially with friends and loved ones, document life stories, and share their lives.

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