While Web 2.0 was to bring about the death of the middleman, this would have little impact on the nation's artists and crafters, who never had a middleman to begin with. Millions still hawk their handmade goods at fairs, open markets, co-ops, wherever a few customers might congregate.

For these people, the web site etsy.com has been a Godsend. Operating on the template of eBay, etsy offers a way for creators of handmade art, tools, decorations and useful household items to offer their wares directly to the public. Over 60,000 vendors offer almost a million different items for sales to around 650,000 registered users.

As you can imagine, the site offers a huge variety of jewelry, knitted goods, etc. Parenthood and agriculture and folksy humor seem to typlify many of the offerings.It also offers a number of unexpected delights, such as a knit dissected frog, a A knit tuna roll, or soap in the shape of a pickle.

If you're looking to sell your crafts, or in the market to buy some, give etsy a try.