Who Needs A Voices "Glee Club" To Be Heard in 2009, WTF?!?

Voices didn't speak for me when I was an eBay seller, and I'm never comfortable with a secretive agenda, non-disclosure forms, etc. I agree with you, John: sounds like a job for the Blog Brigade. Welcome to 2009, indeed!

I don't think Mr Brewer Hay was responding to what the article was implying, he probably could care less about THAT!

He must agree with you that folks can give feedback to ebay...(of course not while they are in the PRESENCE.. or ON THE SITE of Ebay!LOL)

What he was taking "aim" at was Ina and her journalism. That was specificly because there are some "shakers, rattlers and rollers" on the outside finally looking at what is going on inside Ebaytopia and they are looking at HER journals!LOL! Makes sense, no???

Me thinks this was a deliberate effort to discount Ina's fact seeking. The facts are this: Ebay does not allow truth on their site.They censor.Censorship does not make for good communication on a site that's SUPPOSED to be transparent. It creates barriers, and it creates bitterness and mistrust.

The message from Ina was very clear by her photo. The new policies on communicating from buyer to seller are also very clear. Ebay is no longer a transparent and close community. It is a barren wasteland. I posted on Mr Brewer Hay's blog. I mentioned that Censorship does not allow folks to chat freely in forums or anywhere else on ebay, that sellers and buyers alike have to go elsewhere, and that people are not morons, they can figure it out like anyone else.

I'll bet you he CENSORED my comment.

Hi John, I've been selling and buying on ebay for a few years now. I am a powerseller, but just a little fish compared to others. I can honestly say that I've never even heard of the "Voices" program! After reading your commentary, I don't really feel bad about it either!
I do believe that ebay does listen to it's users though. I'm one of those dorks who will fill out every survey that ebay sends me, because they do listen. Of course they may not make choices on new programs and systems that please everyone. But how the heck can you make everyone happy anyway!?
I'm making a living selling online, I'm not scared of DSR's, I try to do my research on all things ebay, but I don't really think we need a secret society of "Voices" when there are so many other ways to communicate and network ideas on the web. Just my humble opinion :)
Thanks for providing excellent info for us little fishes in the ebay sea!

I have met a few of the eBay Voices members. I can't speak for all of them, just the ones I know.. Each time I hear a Voices member talk I think.. "He/She does not represent me OR my voice at eBay." I think many of them ARE outdated and their opinion falls in line with what eBay wants because they like to be voices for eBay more than they like to express their real opinion about what is best for the community.

If eBay's not listening to them, then they are not serving a purpose. Which then brings up the question of: to whom does eBay listen? I don't know that answer. I hope somebody does. :)

Long ago back when I used the ebay community boards, the shear mention of Voices being tied to another user created an aura of mystique around that honor. 'Can't really talk about it' was the phrase they would use to brush it off.

Time to can Voices.

John, I believe that any efforts to keep an open dialogue between a company and its users/customers is a very good thing. To invite as many as 100+ company outsiders who are bona fide users, to share their views and opinions in a personal forum, shows commitment in many facets. Voices continues to have value, but it doesn't stand alone as a listening component for eBay to the outside world.

I'm a bona fide eBay user -- a regular buyer, a PowerSeller, as well as an eBay third-party application developer. Each role brings its own unique perspective. As a buyer, I want a killer deal, assurances that I am protected, and speedy delivery. As a seller, I want great inventory exposure, assurances that I am protected, and speedy payment. As a developer, I want powerful development tools to create innovative marketplace applications, and exposure to a large audience that will pay me to use them. However, with all three roles, I want to be heard by eBay.

One of many things I've discovered about eBay is that they actually listen. "They" are the employees, not the monolithic entity behind the stock symbol and URL. "They" include the many people that I have personally met -- TSAMs (Top Seller Account Mangers), project and product managers, senior managers, technical support staff, customer support staff, technical writers, directors, officers, analysts, executives, marketing experts, and of course, coders. I have come to believe that listening is just part of the culture at eBay. They listen more than they talk.

Now, we may not always agree with what they have to say. I, for one, was on the fence when eBay announced the DSR system. In fact, that is when I first met you, John, at PeSA in New Orleans (March 2008). Lorrie Norrington (currently President of eBay Marketplaces) was the keynote speaker. However, to support my last point, Lorrie also stayed for an hour long unmoderated Q&A. I distinctly remember thinking, "Why in the heck would this woman, President of eBay Global Marketplace Operations, subject herself to this?" It was a maelstrom of emotions from sellers, and she knew what she was in for, and she still did it. She listened.

On the developer side, eBay also does a whole lot of listening. eBay reaches out to their developer community, including small developers to their larger eBay Certified Providers, when it comes to introducing changes as well as new features. The amount of effort that goes into third party developer communication and involvement is incredible. There are numerous opportunities for developers to get involved at this level, and they crave developer participation and feedback.

Now, I may not win a popularity contest for saying this -- but regarding the DSR system that I was "on the fence" about... it is actually quite brilliant. I'm not saying its perfect. But it really has changed the way that sellers operate, in a good way. As a seller, when I perform, I am rewarded for it. Discounts (15% last month), raised search standings, and increased sales. When I slack off and deliver poor service, I feel it, and I know exactly what's needed to get back on track. As a buyer, I noticed a much better experience from sellers, especially when it comes to order fulfillment. As a developer, I now create tools that help sellers stay connected to their eBay activity so they can increase sales and even increase their DSRs. At the PeSA event, there were a lot of questions and criticisms about DSRs.. and while not all of them have been addressed, I believe that through the past year, its proven to be a very positive move that has benefited the community at large.

But to cap off this novella: broadband, social networking and mobile tech ubiquity has really changed the ways that we communicate, not to mention the frequency of how much we interact with and respond to one another (i.e. this comment on your blog post that I discovered via Twitter). We do have many new venues to share our views and opinions, but the fundamental reasons for having programs like eBay Voices are sound. eBay Voices mission is consistent with what I have seen from the full spectrum of employees I've met that make up eBay -- to invite well thought-out opinions and discussions by passionate people.