Enter eBay Wiki, an eBay-owned project that is currently in beta testing. That's right—eBay now has a wiki that can be employed by eBay users to share eBay tips, tricks, and helpful hints online!
What's a 'Wiki?'
The 'wiki' concept is a relatively new online invention. Wikis are websites that convey information and that provide tools for their members to add to, organize, and edit this information information with a relative freedom.While it may sound as though 'wiki' is just another word for 'chaos,' this model of mass information being managed by the volunteer public has proven to be relatively successful in practice, as can be seen in the most successful wiki in the world, the stunning Wikipedia.
The new eBay Wiki is much more focused, of course, and provides eBay members with the tools necessary to discuss and document eBay and eBay-related best practices.
How To Use eBay Wiki
As is often the case with wikis, eBay Wiki is a sort of everything-including-the-kitchen-sink proposition, but there is a method to the madness. To navigate eBay Wiki, keep the following tips in mind:- Use the search box. Near the top of the eBay Wiki front page you'll see a basic search box and a drop-down list of search categories, the default of which is "All Topics." This is perhaps the easiest method of finding information in eBay Wiki, given it's at times melee-style organization.
- Browse by category. Down the left side of the eBay Wiki front page you'll find links to the most common categories of help articles and documents as well as a link, near the bottom of this list, to "All Topics." If you'd like to browse through the available documentation, use this links.
What You'll Find On eBay Wiki
Like most wikis, eBay Wiki is something of a hodgepodge. This is the case primarily because eBay Wiki's structure and content depends entirely on contributions, editing, and organization by its users.Much of the information that you'll find on eBay Wiki is anecdotal, but that doesn't mean it isn't useful. In fact, a significant percentage of the anecdotal information on eBay Wiki comes from high-volume sellers and very successful eBay members, so from that perspective eBay Wiki represents a huge potential reservoir of firsthand information on the ins and outs of eBay use.
On the other hand, because of the very lax organizational structure, it can be difficult to find what you're looking for when you browse through the categories, and at times it isn't even clear just what an article is talking about until you've read halfway through it. For this reason, the best way to use the eBay Wiki right now is probably through the search box on the front page, which gives you a way to find articles directly related to keywords that you supply.
Ready to participate? Read on to find out how.
