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Blogging on Ebay: A Beginner's Guide
What is a blog?
A blog is like Your Magazine or Webpage of anything you'd like to talk about. The term Blog comes from a contraction of two words, Web & Log. You can share your ebay experiences, talk about your family, pose questions to readers, write poetry, tell stories - pretty much anything you'd like. You're welcome to talk about your ebay listings in general, direct selling of one of your items is considered bad form. Ebay automatically posts a link to your auction listings or your ebay store next to your name so everyone can always see what you have up for auction or sale.
What is a post?
A post is just One entry in your blog. Or a post is one comment someone sent in response to one of your blog postings. You can set each of your posts to receive comments from readers or not, when you post. This a feature is listed in your Settings on the left side of your blog home page.
How can I make my own blog?
It's easy! just click "Start Blogging" on the eBay Blogs home page. Ebay Blog Home Page From here, your first task is to name your blog - think of something cool for a Blog Title - maybe The Zone of Madness, or Karen's Quirky Auctions, or Diane's Poetry Corner.
The description you're being asked to fill out here is for the theme of all your blog posts, this is not a "post" page, it is the description people will read about you if they search for your name under blogs, or find your name in the blog search tool. So write a little introduction here about some of the future blog topics you have in mind.
Tags are one or two keywords that people can use to find your blog page. For instance, if you want to post poems to your blog, your 'Tags' could be poems, poetry, personal expression, writing, life insights.
Once you've clicked "Start Blogging" and entered your preliminary information and 'tags' you now have your own Webpage! Your personal blog home address will be http://blogs.ebay.com /yourEbayID You're now ready to make your first blog post by clicking "new entry" within your blog home page.
Can I choose my fonts size and color of text in my posts?
Each 'new entry' page has a toolbar to customize each post you create. Also, any toolbox features that you employ in your post and then you save as a 'Draft' (a new entry saved for future posting), are also saved. Selections on the toolbar are:
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Font Menu
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Font Point Size
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Font Color Chart
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Bold
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Underline
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Italic
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Left Justify Text
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Center Text
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Right Justify Text
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Numbered Text Paragraphs
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Bullet Paragraphs
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Left Indent
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Right Indent
Can I add links in my blog?
I think the rule is that you can only add links to sites within eBay in your log. It's best to read the Community Content Policy to be sure. Ebay Community Content Policy ( this is also located at the bottom of every blog page.) But it's simple just add the whole dot com address, for instance, the Blog Home address is http://blogs.ebay.com . The link for people to click on, is generated automatically by eBay's blogging software.
How do I add Photos to my blog?
This gets a little more complicated. To add photos, you need to have them already existing on a photo sharing website. Free photosharing websites can easily be located by typing 'photosharing' into google. Photobucket is where I have my photos stored. They must be Your Photos or photos that are listed as public domain. You are not free to post pictures from other people's auctions or listings, without express permission.
Once you have your photos on a website someplace, you need to do a couple of things. First click the "view source" OR "show html" box that appears just under the font settings toolbox in your "new entry" page within your blog. Then, you need to post the html code for the photo. Photobucket provides the code for you with one click, if you select the picture you'd like to post & then click "generate html" at the bottom of the page.
Once you've got the html code, simply copy the complete line of code Photobucket has provided & paste it exactly as it appears, into your new entry page (again "view source" box OR "show html" box must be check-marked for your code to work). Once your code is pasted into your entry page, you can now "unclick" the 'Show html' box to see your photo as it will appear in your post. You can go back and forth clicking this box to see the code, then your photo, as many times as you need. If you don't see your photo - you might need to recopy & repaste your code - it may be that you've missed some portion of the code when you copied it.
Add Photos to Your Ebay Blog - by Shipscript
Problems? use this page for more help: Ebay Blog Help Discussion Board
The above link was found on the Discussion Boards - You'll see Community Discussion Boards at the bottom of the main blog page. Click there, then from that page you'll see Blog Help listed among the listings.
Is there a way to follow a post after I have left a comment?
Well, yes and no. Easy way without downloading anything: You can create a little notepad for the names of posts or members when you're following their blog, or you can go back in time by clicking "show more posts" at the bottom of the list of current posts on the main blog page. Blogs here are listed chronologically. Then try to find the approximate time you were last posting comments in the blogs.
The secondary alternative is to download an RSS reader - 'Really Simple Syndication' these should be a freedownload at various places around the net. Then you can click on the orange RSS button (on the far left of every post screen) on the posts you want to follow, then enter those website addresses into your RSS and your RSS reader will update you every hour or so, depending on the reader you download and its settings.
Ebay has several Guides on the subject of RSS:
How do people get their blog pages to look different or unique?
When you create a blog page, you have the ability to customize the 'look' of how all your posts will appear. Click "Customize" on the far left on Your Blog Homepage. Here, you can choose from several color templates. For more customization, you have the ability to add CSS to your Custom Style Sheet, (your blog page style) under Customize - Advanced. Several bloggers can create your blog banner (the heading of your blog page) for you too, just post a blog asking for banner help.
Add Style to your Ebay Blog - by shipscript
Can Blogging help my sales?
Yes! I have purchased items from sellers that have posted blogs on Ebay. Most bloggers can't resist clicking next to your name to see your items up for sale. Posts on Ebay are viewed by hundreds of buyers and sellers daily. Blogging is good marketing. Even beyond Ebay, if there is such a thing, the blogging skills you learn here are also useful as marketing tools on the worldwide web.
See for yourself! Here are the items that appear at auction on Ebay under the search term "Blogging": Ebay Blogging Items
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