eBay says it's working to build a better online community and it will begin rolling out improvements to the discussion boards in the fall, including redesigning the experience.
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http://www.ecommercebytes.com/cab/abn/y16/m08/i11/s01
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I wasn't a participant in the old days of ebay Community so I don't have any basis for comparison but, generally speaking, I prefer the devilI know to the devil I don't.
Having ebay staff actively participate in conversations could be good.... unless it prevents people from speaking their mind.
I wonder who'll get saddled with that job? Ebay Canada has a handful of people, I bet they're pulling starts with fingers crossed not to get it. Hahahah.
Back in the "good old days" (last century) eBay.com had twelve staff members (known as "pinks") monitoring the discussion boards on eBay.com. These were full time people (working mostly from their home across the USA). The system worked relatively well.
From time to time other eBay staffers would intercede on specific subjects (such as eBay stores for example) when major changes were announced on specific programs.
At one point eBay even allowed a representative (Damon) from PayPal (that is well before eBay purchased PayPal) to monitor the PayPal board.
About eight or ten years ago eBay cut these staffers in an effort to save money.
In Canada, boards were monitored more or less on a part time basis by regular staffers as time allowed. At one time we even had the country manager run some discussions on seller's profitability for example. Now we have regular weekly sessions (most weeks).
What does eBay plan for the future? Who knows? Time will tell.
Back in the "old days" there were a lot more participants. Many threads would easily rocket to well past 100 responses.
We had a very large community.
Then, they brought in the "new and improved" boards. Participation dropped at a staggering rate. Member regularly booted, forever, threads moved to other boards. Rules and regulations.
Part of the fall update is a general amnesty to all who were permanently suspended.
The "pinks" would have a Pinks Lounge set-up t eBay Live so you could actually face to face talk with the people making the rules.
"We had a very large community."
That was then.... this is now.
A factor for many members leaving eBay Discussion Boards over the years is the growing attraction of other social media sites such as Facebook, etc.... where rules are less restrictive.
@pierrelebel wrote:"We had a very large community."
That was then.... this is now.
A factor for many members leaving eBay Discussion Boards over the years is the growing attraction of other social media sites such as Facebook, etc.... where rules are less restrictive.
Very true. I am in two on FB where the chatter can be quick and engaging. I was part of a CDN one, but, bailed as the "owner" of the board had an agenda.
"nervous"?
Not sure why as the boards really can't much worse than they have become since Lithium took over (not that I blame Lithium).
The way Wenig describes the new version it sounds like a kinder gentler version of the boards circa 2006 and that can only be good (if not as entertaining as circa 2001 - 2006).
The comments about having to go to the "book" to make actually contact with eBay staff are spot on.
The part that makes me most hopeful hasn't as much to do with the boards but rather this statement....
One plan is to give sellers a greater chance to share information about themselves - something Etsy, 11Main, and now Amazon Handmade is doing in the hopes shoppers will be charmed by seller "storytelling."
While I understand and to an extent agree with the attempt to homogenize listing pages I always thought getting rid of the ME pages and the other ways in which eBay removed the individual personality of sellers was a very bad idea.
"I always thought getting rid of the ME pages and the other ways in which eBay removed the individual personality of sellers was a very bad idea."
I totally agree.
@rose-dee wrote:
@recped wrote:
While I understand and to an extent agree with the attempt to homogenize listing pages I always thought getting rid of the ME pages and the other ways in which eBay removed the individual personality of sellers was a very bad idea.
I completely agree. I felt that was one of the worst moves eBay made. Was it primarily to prevent people from advertising their own websites, or other selling venues they used? If so, eBay is going to run into the same thing here if they make the boards more open to seller information.
As an example, Etsy doesn't suffer from the paranoia about external links, websites, etc. that eBay has always had, and that's why the "storytelling" works on that site. Their approach clearly is the more cross-pollination the better. I'm not sure eBay can have it both ways.
As for the naughty poster amnesty, well we'll see. Personally I think I lot of those people will have gone for good anyway, to greener pastures where they can still get their jollies from bullying, bad-mouthing, insulting and baiting.
Pretty much, or, they have left eBay permanently.
