eBay are surveying site users on the future of the community forum boards. They’re currently running a survey giving users their chance to say how they use the eBay chat boards, what they like and dislike and how they think the boards should evolve in the future.
The US PowerSeller board has already been split with three new sections – PowerSellers Marketplace Cafe, PowerSellers HelpDesk and PowerSolutions. It’s possible we could see similar splits on the UK boards to try and segregate general chit chat from business discussions and requests for help.
The one thing I would hate to see is an upgrade to the board format in use in the US today. Far from being an improvement on the UK style eBay forums the US boards are too image heavy with little focus on how to find relevant topics of interest.
eBay haven’t revealed the direction that they’d like to see the boards move, but I’m guessing they’d like some such as the PowerSeller and Business boards to become less general chat and more focused on assisting sellers to sell.
What would you like to see from the eBay community forums? Are you happy with them in their current format or would you like to see changes in either the layout or the content?
20 Responses
Less photographs of cats and other pets 😉
generally less argumentative, sarcastic, holier-than-thou, insolent, obnoxious, elitist, unhelpful…
shall I go on?
You know what, the cat threads were always one of my favourite 😀
No help or usefulness whatsoever, but sometimes I just needed a bit of light relief in the middle of the day 😉
Generally from a personal perspective though the boards would be a lot more useful if the focused on business and selling issues with less fluff and chit chat, but that’s just me
I think just banning signatures and pictures in general would make them a lot better.
As #2
I totally agree with you Lynne, one of the reasons I lurk more often and post rarely.
I don’t mind off topic threads some are amusing and refreshing to a dull day especially when you work alone most of the time.
A great source of knowledge and still very useful but the PS board is not what it used to be as they say 🙂
I used to use the PS forum all the time, used to be a laugh. I might give it another go. Always did wonder though just how many times your listings would get reported just ’cause of what you said on there!
So annoying to see when somebody asks a question or makes a point, maybe for the first time, the ‘high and mighty’ jump in and rip their listings to bits over even the slightest policy violation in such a patronising way.
Regardless of what ebay do to split the work/play aspects of the forums, users will use (and abuse) as they see fit and post stuff on the “wrong” threads. We’ll just end up with more forums and useful info and topics spread over a wider area. Not good when you are in a rush to find an answer or a post by a user you just can’t remember the id of.
What is wrong really with the way things are now? There are more than enough specific boards, each with their own camp of “experts”, bullies and snitches. Why split them up?
I think ebay have really done enough alterations, why change the thing that for some sellers is a haven/playground?
I do find the PS Board very handy when something completely bizarre, illogical and senseless happens … like getting a firearms warning when listing a face cloth.
I pop on the board and can usually very quickly go … “oh just another ebay FUBAR situation” at least it’s not anyhing I did – and get on with my day!
Not allowed to use it, to immature apparently. 😆
The only change I would make to the power seller board is to ban everyone whose name begins with S (with the exception of bead sellers of cause) 😀
I’m not a defender of illegal terms and conditions but it’s the way some go about criticising a poster’s listings, the superiority, the way they queue up – I think after ten or so Powersellers making the same criticism about an external link they have got the message and then somebody goes and reports all their listings, they are hardly going to post again asking for help.
Do we really need all the posts with links to BBC News? Or every time somebody gets a negative? Being more business focussed would keep the important discussions on the front page rather than being pushed off by more threads of photographs of seller’s wives or budgies or whatever.
Better search options would reduce the repetitive posts.
I fail to understand how any of the boards will ever be Business only when proper business people are far too busy running proper businesses to use the boards in the first first place.
the boards have always ( with a few exceptions) been full of well meaning amatuers and wannabe’s.
Oh and I am in the same boat as Whirly, for more reasons than being immature.( the list is far too long to post here)
#14 I feel crushed now, I thought I was the only one in the UK to have a lifetime ban 🙁
#14
“I fail to understand how any of the boards will ever be Business only when proper business people are far too busy running proper businesses to use the boards in the first first place”
Couldn’t agree more.
What’s a “proper business” person and a “proper business”?
#17 If you have to ask, you aint one.
#18 Isn’t that the answer to a different question?
Why bother with the powerseller boards when you can get snipey here, eh?
; )