"Building A Better Community" Board Now Open!

[hidy-hoo]

A post from Karen, the new Director of Community:

Hi all,

We’re reimagining the online Community experience at eBay and we can’t do this without you. Over the next several weeks we’ll post updates, questions and ideas right here  - in an effort to get your input on what you would like the new Community online experience to include.

To make sure we capture all of your ideas, thoughts and comments over the next few weeks and beyond - you’ll notice a few new faces online. For example, alan@ebay is joining Griff, myself and the eBay Community team as our dedicated Community Manager. After over 3 years on the boards in Dublin, Ireland, Alan is joining us at eBay headquarters in San Jose, CA. Welcome alan@ebay!

At its core, eBay is a place to sell, buy, connect, and learn - but most importantly - eBay is a place to belong.  And, our online Community plays a big part in making that happen. Thank you in advance for sharing your thoughts as we build the best Community experience together.

The eBay Community Team

Unfortunately, the only way to "find" this new board is through the main Community page and then the notice is only included in the "scrolling headlines info" at the top of the page.

Here is the link for quick access....share your thoughts and opinions, but, imo, it should be "Community" related and not about eBay problems in general...and FYI, for those who remember, bostongrammy posted!

 http://community.ebay.com/t5/Building-A-Better-Online/Building-a-better-online-Community/m-p/2587944...

[hidy-hoo]

The "link" that I provided is no longer necessary ~ it is now an "official board" under the "Inside eBay" heading within "Discussion Boards:

Inside eBay

• Building a Better Online Community<<<<<<
• 2016 Spring Seller Update
• Weekly Chat with eBay Staff
• The New Advanced Listing Tool
• eBay Radio
• Technical Issues

....and FYI, penguins_dont_fly posted a really great summary of what is wrong with the community and what we need to fix it....post #32

http://community.ebay.com/t5/Building-A-Better-Online/Building-a-better-online-Community/m-p/2588015...

[savanna.dance · Accepted solution]

Officially I don't think we're going to like what's coming down the pike. You just have to look at the other Lithium run boards to understand what we'll be getting.

What people have forgotten is that Jeff was responsible for this board configuration and fought for it to be different from the corporate boards that exist on other platforms.

I think the discussion boards being badly split up and stifled had more to do with Lithium limitations and less with what was actually desired.

The new community director, I feel, remembers very little about OLD discussion forums in general, is hooked into the new type of internet communication, that is almost instantaneous, sound bite length, image based and LOTS of emojis.

I'm praying that what we get doesn't break the faith of the real old timers to the point of everyone leaving.

Here is how lithium promoted their boards to get a taste of what we might be seeing:

http://www.lithium.com/products-solutions/online-communities/forums

[nomoaa · Accepted solution]

You're right savanna, change is not always good.

I favor the saying, "If it's not broke, don't fix it"

Sounds like someone needs to justify their job.

Jean

[savanna.dance · Accepted solution]

I think they would be happy if some of us old dinosaurs did shuffle off because we wouldn't be constantly harkening back to days of yore.

What I didn't say on the big thread was gamification, which is where we're headed, IMO. I don't want to see fighting or be involved with it.

People are already asking for the things I think can be mass abused and real community destroyers, ignore features and thumbs down. In fact the very first post was a request for an ignore feature, which, I think set the tone for the thread.

Does anyone remember when they had yes/no buttons in the Answer Center and the problems that started?

[dorskinny · Accepted solution]

---

@savanna.dance wrote:
I think they would be happy if some of us old dinosaurs did shuffle off because we wouldn't be constantly harkening back to days of yore.

What I didn't say on the big thread was gamification, which is where we're headed, IMO. I don't want to see fighting or be involved with it.

People are already asking for the things I think can be mass abused and real community destroyers, ignore features and thumbs down. In fact the very first post was a request for an ignore feature, which, I think set the tone for the thread.

Does anyone remember when they had yes/no buttons in the Answer Center and the problems that started?

---

You know, what's funny is they have no idea how it used to be...Not sure how far back you were here, I actually started in 2000, although this ID doesn't show that...now the feedie board had a bad rep for being not so nice....but it wasn't really like that.....well....it was only like that for the feedback starved idiots who came there crying because they didn't get their precious pat on the head yet.

My business is really slow today, so I just went through the archives for awhile.... I spent a long time reading the hamlet on feedback thread. I laughed out loud a dozen times.... maybe it wouldn't be as funny to some because they didn't post with all of those folks regularly....but I had very fond memories reading it. And saw a lot of ID's no longer with us...I enjoyed every one of them.

The funniest part is...if you go through the thread...claire@ebay  kelly@ebay...maeve@ebay, etc

they were all right there cracking up, interacting and posting along with us...

I know a lot of you remember the not so great times on the boards back then too...but I have to say, it really was a community...I miss those days. A lot of posts are missing from back then..and the dates are wrong...

but it sure was fun.

[hidy-hoo]

Thanks, guys for taking the time to post !

[hidy-hoo]

LOL,.....not really, more like a !  I was looking through the new community board to find a particular post to reply to ~ there are now more than 180 posts, so I decided it would be easier to look through the posts of the ID and find it that way.....ummmmm, nope, no posts in the thread are showing up under the respective IDs....OY!

[dorskinny · Accepted solution]

easier to wipe away.....

[hidy-hoo]

eCommerceBytes now has the info on the "reimagining" of the Community....responses are similar to those on the new board....."Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me".....getting more difficult to keep my glass half full attitude!  I read an interesting new take on the glass half full vs. the glass half empty phrase ~ I'm just freekin' happy to have a glass! 

http://www.ecommercebytes.com/C/blog/blog.pl?/pl/2016/8/1470875300.html

[hidy-hoo]

I'm wondering if the next time I take a few days off, will the Part Time eBay Sellers Group still be here?  Anyone wanna guess?

[hidy-hoo]

....forgot to say that every time I see "Building a Better Online Community" I immediately think of building a "Better Mouse Trap"....somehow I think we are the mice!

                                                    

[loveyourimagination49 · Accepted solution]

It seems to be a cliffhanger.

[dorskinny · Accepted solution]

Its been nice posting with you guys!! 

[hidy-hoo]

Not sure weather to laugh or cry....lol.....and dang, my picture is now a pizza box, so let me see if this one works!