Launched late last year, eBay's Neighborhoods are one such tool for bringing buyers and sellers together around shared interests, hobbies, or specialties. eBay currently plays host to literally hundreds of neighborhoods for interests as varied as cats, biographies, Chevrolet Camaro cars, and Wicca.
What Happens in eBay Neighborhoods?
The most obvious question about eBay neighborhoods, of course, is what they're for—what you can do with or in them. The easiest way to understand eBay neighborhoods is to think of them as spaces for you to meet new people and to spend time socializing with people that you already know. In this way, time spent exploring eBay's neighborhoods might not be unlike the time spent on MySpace or Facebook.More specifically, any eBay member is free to visit and/or join eBay's neighborhoods, each of which offers tools to help you:
- Meet other eBay members with the same interest(s) as you.
- Quickly and easily browse a selection of eBay item listings related to the neighborhood's topic.
- Post photos related to the neighborhood's topic and see the photos other neighborhood members have posted.
- Participate in online discussions related to the neighborhood's topic, or start a new discussion related to the neighborhood's topic.
- Read or make eBay blogs posts related to the neighborhood's topic.
- Read or write reviews and guides related to the neighborhood's topic.
- Find other neighborhoods that might interest you, based on the topics of your existing neighborhoods and the interests of their members.
- Invite other eBay members to join you in a given neighborhood.
Rather than going over these tasks step-by-step, the best way to learn about eBay's neighborhoods is to explore them. There isn't a comprehensive list of all neighborhoods, nor is there a “link map” page giving you quick access to all of the tools that they offer as text links. Instead, you are meant to explore eBay's neighborhoods organically, and to participate in them as you would any neighborhood in the “real” world.
Ready to learn more about how to enter the neighborhoods and about what you can do with them as a seller? Read on.
