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All just about eBayThe eBay Community - Some
the solvent and the glue: The re-defining of the online industry
by:
Kathleen Johnson
Why the lawlessness on eBay? Why the apparent contradiction between the commercialism as a community and the escalating tension that is creating an exodus to independent platforms, a slow down in growth on eBay, and reduction in users on the platform?
The authorized eBay business person
EBay authorized the small user to vie in the business earth on an equal footing with the brick and mortar stores without the overhead due to facilities price and labor costs. They campaigned the ideal by marketing eBay as a community, albeit virtual, cease and desist order the User thru mutual goals regardless of geographical location thus mitigating the virtual isolation. Access to the community at eBay , akin to a worldwide village, is won by acceptance of the notion that there are mutual goals. The goals, given
as a team effort, depend on driven self interest some
on eBay’s part and the part of the user - a drive desire for some
to succeed with helical success and escalating sales.
The authorized User feels betrayal once
the team idea breaks down due to lack of any meaty discussion on application and interpretation of the Terms Of Service (TOS) and fees. Social control
of TOS is final, discretional and capricious with little possibleness
for discussion or appeal. The reportage
mechanism is the community itself which defers policing price away from Corporate. The mechanism is driven by self reportage
by else members who ordinarily have a self benefit as the rumored
target is often a competition or personal rival.
Dispelling the enthusiasism
The individualism and team effort that is bucked up by eBay, during the initiation period, is smothered by over enthusiastic anonymous members of a community activity pool in a brick and mortar establishment often far removed from Corporate offices. The TOS violation decisions are delivered by anonymous
email that offer little explanation excepting multiple reference to nebulous complex
passages in the TOS that may, or may not apply, to the infringement with notices that the auction is cancelled, the user is suspended, or the Pay Pal account frozen. The User is left floundering with the ability to do little but email an unknown eBay worker
whose name wish change as the shifts change - this resultant pool of participants add further interpretation , conflicting opinions, and no promise of a hearing or any tangible recourse.
Protesting, picketing and boycotts
And so the User retreats to Forums and Boards to process the events, in virtual communities, giving a biased version of a problem presenting it as a threat that tends to inflame moral panic. Further debate of the moral panic escalates the alarm that is then spread to similar boards with similar expressed
goals to undermine the quality
of eBay. The negative identity of eBay is created, escalated, and maintained by the conflict. The problems are further combined
by trolls that bait the user groups and then stand back to enjoy the conflict. The search engines spider the comments further spreading the negativity that not only impacts the eBay community but the quality
of the online auction marketplace as a whole.
A system fed by the anonymous Customer and Merchant
The online marketplace auction community is based on annominity bucked up by eBay and now emotional out onto the independent platform as they emulate the eBay image. The usernames are the basis for all business transactions and real names are discouraged with the argument that the safety of the ‘User’ is jeopardized by such familiarity. Further combining
this are the users who have multiple usernames.
This argument for annominity is negated as the identity of any User can be found after one group action
down to full name, address, phone, and email address. So if the username is so easily ‘found’ - why the challenge to continue to hide the real identity? The practice of anonymous usernames continues to be bucked up even as on the eBay forums themselves further combining
the problem.
Driven by annominity and combined
by the allowed use of multiple usernames for individual posters - posts are more antagonistic in the online environment than it would-be be in a real face to face confrontation. Attitudinal negativity is ramped and driven by biased inflammatory responses meant to bolster the black-and-blue parties position. Those not contributive to the popular position on the board are treated to group hazing rituals that isolate the target and drive the non compliant poster off the board or forum. The hazing on eBay forums themselves varies from board to board and is dependent on the tolerance of the eBay appointed Moderator, who may not activity for eBay itself, but a contractor
brought in to run the forums. As the lawlessness escalates so makes the number of forums forming to campaign the opposed eBay sentiment and sponsors independent auction platform growth.
A across the nation
mandated solution?
Coming presently
peradventure a resolution in that all online Sellers wish have to be Across the nation
registered as mandated by the Streamlined Tax Act. The current practice of the multiple anonymous usernames policy peradventure looking at a radical overhaul in the near future. The lack of annominity may change current business practices as they need to protect that National License and likewise temper the tone on the boards as personal integrity is at stake - and there peradventure a trickle down effect on the negativity.
The brick and mortar standard - a solution.
Currently the community is some
the solvent and the glue driven there by a institution that has become so upstage
it wish not communicate directly with its own team , the Buyers and Sellers, except in press releases, limited notices on the announcement board, anonymous
extended email campaigns, and the promise of token access to phone service if the user ‘pays‘ for the extra service - excepting stores wherever
it wish be provided as one of the benefits. So more for the team effort - that would-be take discussion and that is non existent. Thousands of new online auction platforms are springing up to vie as the exodus continues but the new platforms do not escape unscathed. The fall out - the entire online auction community as it struggles to gain quality
in the eyes of the public with all the bad message spread so expeditiously with the search engine spiders.
It is time for a change in the online industry and peradventure conformist to brick and mortar business standards is what it wish take.
Just just about the author:
Kathleen Johnson based the Yahoo Group Appraisals and Expert Help. The group is for assisting folk with their antique appraisals and commercialism questions some years ago, and she still offers those services today. Kathleen is likewise under contract to Primedia Inc to Moderate the Allexperts Board at About.inc. For many an years she worked as a registered expert on Yahoo Experts, Keen, AskMe and Allexperts. Kathleen continues to write articles on online facilitation but is presently
working full time on the iCell.biz platform as it goes thru Beta testing.
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