Hello all!

My eBay handle is Shop4uniquegifts and I have been on eBay for my goodness 4 years! I have seen a lot of wonderful things pertaining to groups and this has been the most wonderful experience on eBay for me. Teaching and learning with fellow group members what can I say bring it on! We hope that you will enjoy our workshop and are enriched with this information to help us make our groups the cats meow! Wahoo-oooo!

Learn Lots!

Let's start with creating a topic.......


This function can be performed by all eBay group members

Well first let me say that they are the same topic/thread thread/topic it all depends on your preference and group forum as to which one to use. We are accustomed to calling topics threads. We will refer to topics throughout this tutorial as threads.

Once you have entered into the specific group you where you would like to add a thread, you will find a listing of at least 5 forum boards (depending upon how many the leadership team of that group has made).



Looking at the picture above of a group’s home page, we see that under Group Menu the first discussion link we are to click on let’s call this D1.

This opens another screen see picture below there are a few important items to note here. From the top of the screen upper left we see that we are in the Discussions area, (let's call this D2).

We can put this another way we have clicked the first discussion (D1) new screen opens up and at the top of the page we see Discussions again because the first thread generated in this forum was called Discussions, LOL!

It just so happened that when the platform was first released groups were given one forum board titled "Discussions". Scratching your head aren't ya, I know, lol. If you still see a forum board titled "Discussions" in groups, you might wish to inquire with your leadership teams to edit this title to another name. So members can navigate the group a bit better.

At this point I would like to suggest to leaders and mods if they haven’t already, edit this title to anything but discussions. It will make it easier for all members of your group.



From here there are two main areas:

Forums ~ from Wikipedia…

Internet forum is a web application for holding discussions and posting user generated content. Internet forums are also commonly referred to as web forums, message boards, discussion boards, (electronic) discussion groups, discussion forums, bulletin boards. The terms "forum" and "board" may refer to the entire community or to a specific sub-forum dealing with a distinct topic.


Recent Topics:

These are threads from any of the boards in the forum area at the top of the page that have been generated by the group’s leadership team. They are organized by most recent thread updated. This is noted by a colored circle
next to the thread title:

~Red circle=thread has not been read by you

~half red and half light blue/grey=updated by you or another group member

~Light Blue/Grey=thread has been read by you


Presently in groups, leaders and mods have available 5 forum boards. This is the area where threads are created.




Taking a look at these areas on this screen we see something very important that can cause a conundrum. Stick with me here; this is the next page that will open up after clicking on the first discussion link (left hand navigation area) (D1).

If you notice in the forum area you see the first forum titled Discussions. Let's call this D2.

In the top third of this screen shot you see the forum area where up to 5 forum boards are created.

Looking at the menu button on the top right upper hand corner of this screen shot, you see two options the viewing of these two options depends on your membership status (leadership team or member)

The leadership team will see both drop down windows:

"Add a New" topic. The only members with the ability to create new forums are the leadership teams for groups. For instructions on how to perform that task see "How to Create a Forum" tutorial ~ this is a leader/mod function only.

"Mark all Threads as Read"~ This drop down window will be available to all the leadership team of a group and group members.

The rest of the screen shot page is 2/3rds of it, is made up of "Recent Topics". This means that these threads have been updated with activity (posting comments, statements, responses). These threads listed here can be from any one of the forum boards listed above.

They are listed chronologically by the most recent update thus therefore the name recent topics.

To fully understand how the board works and see all the discussions of a forum board one needs to click on the boards in the forum area at the top of the group page.

This is a crucial point in understanding this. If you just click on recent discussions, you will not be able to view all of the discussion in a forum board. You must go to the forum board and click it to view all the threads present in it.

Are you still with me ? Great! You are done with the difficult area now is let's go down easy street.

Let's actually create a thread I am using a test group:

Click=>Group Menu=>Discussions=>Click Cool Topics this will bring you to a similar page below:



Click=>New Topic new screen below will appear



A note about tags: These would be keywords or keyword phrases that will help direct search engines (google, yahoo, msn) to find your groups. Through the posted threads, photos, etc for the possibility of attracting new membership in your groups. See the "How to Create Tags" tutorial for further information on this feature.

Important note from Maeve: In addition please ask your members to use keywords, not sentences. We've found that words such as "the" or "and" will show up in "popular tags" if the member writes a sentence instead of key words

Noting the ares that need filling in once you have filled in the necessary fields see screen shot below:



Spell Check message



Preview message



Then click Post Message

Thread has been created and there are two places at this time where a poster can reply. Below the newly created thread or at upper right hand corner of page. See red arrows in screen shot.

Now before we leave this screen shot I would like to take just a few moments to give you some information about the tool bar above the posting area.



The tool bar here has a few functions:

The face if clicked will bring up a pop up window to display various emoticons that can be posted within your message.

"B" = Bold Text What a word or sentence to stand out? Use this feature.

"I" = Italicized gives a fancy styling to your text again used to differentiate parts of your message

"U" = Underline text

PRE = <*PRE ...> can be one the handiest tags in the HTML toolbox. PRE ... marks the text as "preformatted" -- all the spaces and carriage returns are rendered exactly as you type them. So if you want to get creative with your spacing or lists of graphics when using this feature, before your material posting, it will render it exactly as you want it. This helps if you have to off set your graphics or text from the already formatted fields in the posting area. Asterisk used in pre code to display without conversion of the code in tutorial.

This icon represent the URL of a link you would like to place in the posting area. You know the http:// code that is used to direct you to a website or page on the web.

A caveat here be mindful of eBay's linking policy. You can review that in the tutorial "How to Create a Siggie" there is information there about eBay's linking policy.

Once this icon is clicked a pop up window appears for you to place the link in.

See screen shots below:



Make sure that before you click on the hyperlink icon above that you highlight your text should you want to make the link look neater as opposed the the raw link code that is the first link in the example above. The choice is yours.




This icon "spell check" is pretty self explanatory however it is good to note that it only checks spelling not grammar, punctuation, and vocabulary usage like know and no. It is limited by the database that is attached to it. So you may want to use word pad that has a more vast dictionary attached to it or a spell checker of your own choosing.



This icon will generate once clicked a pop up window that will direct you to the help section for the new eBay group platform. Some basic FAQ's to assist you in frequent asked questions with the platform.



Your finished product of creating a thread displays this screen below:



Whew, Congratulations! You made it through like a trooper and you are equipped to contribute effectively to the groups you belong to.

Carla

Watches and Subscriptions.

Like most people in eBay Groups you probably have a busy life. Between your work, your family, other activities and groups, there often is not time enough in a day to keep up with everything. One of the eBay Groups tools gives you the ability to watch content so you know when there are updated posts by another member or in that fascinating thread.

Just as important as subscribing to content is being able to turn off or modify the alerts to fit your schedule and preference. This tutorial will explain how to use the watch feature effectively.

The first thing to do is make sure you've set everything up correctly.

Click on your My Content link at the top of the left hand column.
Then click on subscriptions. This will bring up the My Watches page and there are a lot of things you can do with the tools here to determine how often you receive an alert.

My Watches

My Email Address
All watch updates will be emailed to the email address registered to your eBay User ID.

Always watch content I create: Yes No
By choosing YES, you will receive an alert every time someone posts to a thread you started, a photo you uploaded to an album or responds to a poll you created.

Always watch content I reply to: Yes No
By choosing YES you will receive an alert every time someone responds to a thread you posted in, a photo you commented on or any other content you responded to in the group.

You can choose how to have the alerts delivered to your email

Email - Immediately (default)
This means you will receive an email anytime there is an addition to the items you are watching. Please be aware that if you watch a very busy thread or topic you could receive hundreds of email each day.

Email - In a Batch - Digest Delivery
If you select digest delivery you can determine how often to receive the email alert
1. Once per Day
2. Every Other Day
3. Once per Week

The next section shows you what forums, topics or members you are watching. If there is a number in the parens following the attribute you will see who or what you are watching directly below it along with the titles of their posts.

Watched Components: (0)
No forum watches

Watched Topics: ( 0 )
No topic watches

Watched Members: ( 1 )
Member Posts Registered Save Delete
1. marta9499423 (1551) 16 2/2/07

Great Deals On candlesticks!! (Sep 20, 2007 8:42 AM)
Great Deals On rubber rafts!! (Sep 20, 2007 8:41 AM)

Watching another Member

You can watch what other members post in eBay groups and as long as you both belong to the same group you can receive an alert each time they post. If you know someone who is going in for surgery or taking a vacation, you can place a watch on them so you know when they return and post. All you have to do is click on the link that reads "watch" just below their avatar on any thread they've posted to. That's it, you will receive an alert according to the preferences you set up earlier.

Turning off the watch is just as easy. Go to a post the member made (you will have that information in your alerts) and click on Stop Watching, right under their avatar.

** Reminder, if you are watching someone, don't put them on ignore or you might not be able to stop the alerts.

Watching a thread or topic

You can also watch a discussion thread and be sent an alert when someone else posts to that thread. This will help you keep track of interesting topics.

The first thing to do is open up the thread. Then click on the menu at the top of the screen. You will see a link marked Subscribe to Content Just click on that and the alert is set. You will know that it was successful when you see the following message at the top of the thread.

You are subscribed to this content. You will get email when it is updated.

** Please note, the word subscribed in the above message is a link to your watches page. Clicking on that link and deleting the post does not unsubscribe you to that thread.

When you decide that you no longer want to watch the thread all you need to do is log into your group and find the thread. Then click on the menu and choose unsubscribe from content This will remove the watch on that thread

RSS Feed

There is one other subscription tool on the drop down menu that allows you to subscribe to an RSS feed.

What are RSS feeds?

You may click the RSS link on any page to copy the code required to regularly add any new content as it is posted, making it available to via your RSS reader software.

In eBay groups the RSS feed will show you a headline so you can decide if you want to visit and read the full content. It's a great way to keep up with important topics.

**Please note You will need to have an RSS reader installed to read RSS content. You can find these by doing a search for RSS feed reader in one of the major search engines. There are many free readers available and they do require downloading new software to your computer.

GROUPS MANAGEMENT

Use this page to edit the permissions and details of your group.

If you are the leader of a group, the first thing you will see under the permissions area is your User ID. Underneath that you will see a link that reads "change". If you want to appoint a new leader click on the change link and add the ID of the nominee, then click the submit button. That's it. The individual will be sent an email with the opportunity to accept or reject the position. If they accept it only takes a minute or two for the change to take effect. If they reject the nomination, you will need to submit another User ID for group leader



** If your group leader is missing or NARU, please send an email to maeve@ebay.com explaining the situtation. eBay will appoint you as a moderator of the group so you can tend to moderation issues. You should also set up a poll to elect a new leader by asking members of the group for nominations and then holding an election. Once you've elected a new leader write to Maeve and eBay staff will make the changes.

You can also use the permission option to make your group private, public, open or closed

Private groups require an invitation to join or a request to the group leader.
Anyone can join a public group at any time, just by clicking the join button.
Open groups allow people who are not members of the group to read threads and posts from members. Non-members cannot post, take part in polls, send email to other members or use any of the other member based utilities in the group.
Closed groups show a message on the Welcome page that your group is not accepting new members at this time. You can use this option if your group is bursting at the seams or if you simply want a small private group.

Adding a moderator is easy. Under the permission section, just type in their User ID then click on the "Save" button found at the bottom of the page.



GROUP NAME:
-- when you created your group you were asked to give it a name and sometimes the purpose of the group changes or you want to give it a bright new identity. Just add your group name to this field and click the submit button. Please be aware that it may take a few hours for the servers to all catch up with the change.

GROUP SHORT DESCRIPTION:
-- this information shows up on the Group Category pages so its a good way to tell potential members what your group is all about.

FULL GROUP DESCRIPTION:
This is where you can add html to decorate your home and welcome pages along with adding text information describing the purpose of your group. eBay doesn't allow certain html in groups so its best to only use simple html commands to add photos or select text size and color at this time. Currently, you are limited to 350 characters for this space.

GROUP CATEGORY:
This allows you to move your group from one category to another. For example, if your Jewelry group focuses on Boutique design, you can change where you are listed from Collectibles >> Jewelry to Special Interests >> Boutique. Be sure to click the "save" button when you are through.

TAGS:
Groups are allowed to have up to five tags to describe their interests. You might want to think of the tags in this area as sub headers for your group. There's more about tags in another section of this tutorial.



GROUP DESIGN:
Right now you have a choice of 8 different colors for the main background elements or skins of your group. In coming weeks more options for these elements will be made available. Just click on the drop down menu to choose. The example above shows the "star" design.

GROUP IMAGE:
The group image is your own personalized logo for your group. You can design one of your own or choose one from the millions of free images on the net. This image shows up as a small icon on the group home page and in the groups category pages(about the size of the avatar) and it also shows up as a larger image on your welcome page.

Buttons at the Bottom of the Page:
There are three buttons at the bottom of this page.

SAVE:
-- allows you to save all the changes you've made according to the instructions in this tutorial.

CANCEL:
-- deletes the content you've added.

Delete Groups:
-- removes your group from the platform. Please remember that eBay cannot retrieve the data for your group once its been deleted. If you are a group leader and can't lead the group any longer, please consider appointing someone else as the group leader before clicking on that button.

Hi everyone, thanks so much for joining our eBay Groups Workshop today. I think you'll find a lot of valuable information here that will help you maximize the potential of our recently upgraded Groups platform. We continue to value your feedback on the platform and will be implementing a second round of features in the coming months. Our next round of enhancements won't involve nearly as much change as this most recent upgrade but will implement some of the features/modifications we've heard you ask about. Thanks again, and enjoy this Workshop!

-Garnor Morantes

 Garnor
 Community Development
 eBay

Welcome and thanks for joining us today!

We love workshops to be interactive, so please feel free to ask your questions that directly relate to this topic.

Added note: If you click on the "Watch this discussion" link, you will receive an email each time someone posts to the workshop.

Stop Watching: If at any time you no longer want to receive updates on a thread you are watching, just click on the link titled "Stop Watching Thread" found in the specific thread being watched. Also you can remove any watched thread by clicking on the "Watched Discussions" link located in the log in bar and deleting the watched thread.

If you're new to the discussion boards, please be sure to check out the board tutorial:

Link

FYI: Please refresh the page to see the newest information.


Cheers,

Deirdre
eBay Community Development

Hey Fran and thanks for coming