| The My eBay page is a personalized Web page just for younobody else can view it. If you want a page to show to other usersto tell potential bidders a little bit about yourselfeBay lets you create your very own About Me page. eBay's About Me page is a personal Web page just for you. It's easy to create (no HTML coding necessary), and lets you tell other eBay users a little bit about yourself. It also lets you show other users your current auctions, most recent feedback, and interesting items you've found online. Although eBay uses a trio of templates to construct users' About Me pages, there is sufficient personalization available to make your About Me page different from your neighbors'. Figure 2.4 shows my About Me page, which you can access directly at members .ebay.com/aboutme/trapperjohn2000/. Figure 2.4. About Me , your author! You can view any user 's About Me page by clicking the Me icon next to their user name on any item listing page. (If there's no icon displayed, that user doesn't have an About Me page.) You can search for other users' About Me pages by clicking the Search link on the Navigation Bar and then clicking Find Members to display the Find Members page; scroll down to the bottom of the page to search for About Me pages by user ID. Creating Your About Me Page You don't have to be a Web programmer to create your own About Me page. All you have to do is click a few options and fill in some blanks, and you're ready to go. | | Don't confuse the simple About Me page with the more full-featured e-commerce Web site you may want to create for your online business. For more information, see Chapter 22, "Setting Up Your Own Web Site for Online Sales." | Follow these steps: -
From the Navigation Bar, click Services and then click Create My About Me Page. -
When the About Me Login page appears, click the Create and Edit Your Page button. -
When the About Me Styles page appears, select either a two-column, newspaper (three-column), or centered (single-column) layout. -
When the Select Template Elements page appears, it's time to fill in the blanks. In particular, you need to enter a title for your page; a short welcome message; one or more other paragraphs; and a link to a picture. You can also opt to display your most recent feedback comments; the items you currently have for sale; links for up to three of your favorite Web pages; and up to three items currently listed on eBay. Click the Preview Your Page button when you're done. -
You now see a preview of your About Me page. If you like what you see, click the Save My Page button. If you want to change a few items, click the Edit Some More button to return to the previous page. If you'd rather fine-tune the page with your own HTML, click the Edit Using HTML button. -
If you clicked the Save My Page button, you now see the Confirm Your Selection page, otherwise known as the Ready to Save Your Page? page. If you want to edit some more, click the Keep Editing for Now button. If you're sure you're done, click the Save My Page button. "Mike Sez" | | If you have a separate personal Web page outside of eBay, list it in the favorite links section. That's a better use of space than the favorite eBay items section, which is almost immediately out of date when the auctions end and is better ignored. Also, you can include multiple descriptive paragraphs by entering a <p> paragraph break tag in either the Welcome Message or Another Paragraph text. | You'll now be taken directly to your brand new About Me page. Using About Me to Publicize Your Auctions The great thing about the About Me page is that it's a page with a non-changing URL that always lists your current auctions. When you want to direct other users to your eBay auctions, it's easier to direct them to your About Me page than it is to enter the individual URLs for all your item listing pages. tip | | You can edit your About Me page at any time by repeating steps 1 and 2, which will take you to your preview page. Click the Edit Some More button to make changes to your page. | The address for your About Me page is shown in the address box of your Web browser. The address is typically in the form of members.ebay.com/aboutme/ userid / ; just replace userid with your own user ID and you should have the URL. (My eBay ID is trapperjohn2000, so my About Me address is members.ebay.com/aboutme/trapperjohn2000/ .) "Mike Sez" | | The About Me page is also a good way for other eBay users to get to know you especially those who are bidding in your auctions. Make sure you include text and photos that position you as a reputable eBay sellerand not some goofball flake who's likely to cause trouble. | You can then insert this URL into your personal Web page, your email signature, or any other item you can think of. It's a great way to publicize your ongoing eBay activity for free! The Absolute Minimum When it comes to eBay's advanced features, keep these key points in mind: -
You can use feedback ratings and comments to judge the trustworthiness of other eBay users; view other users' feedback by clicking on the feedback rating number next to their user name. -
The My eBay page lets you track all your eBay activities and information in one place; it includes separate tabs/pages for tracking items you're bidding on or watching, items you're selling, your favorite searches and categories, your eBay account, your feedback, and your preferences. -
The About Me page is your personal page on the eBay sitewhich you can create in less than five minutes, no HTML coding necessary. | |