Polite Board and Group Manners

Not long after joining the fun of eBay buying and selling, I discovered the Boards. At first, I was very cautious about what I wrote. However, emotions and passions soon swept me away and I found the argumentive side of my personality emerging.

Thankfully, restraints are in place, and I find eBay has moderators just in case I get carried away.  I quickly learned that communicating by key-strokes without careful thought and consideration would get my post deleted and fast!

This electronic age of chatter brings about new challenges to my communicating skills. Face-to-face, I am usually polite, but faced with chattering to unseen faces and the fast post-it button, I could make some huge blunders for all to see.

There are many boards available to communicate with fellow eBayers, but I needed to find a place where my interests would fit with the majority of others. I so enjoyed the Board I was on, but quickly realized this Board was not a good fit.  Of course, I met wonderful friends and then those who were not as appreciative of my views and lifestyle.

The moderator who deleted some of my posts and threads directed me to a Board where I would have greater freedom to express myself freely in a safe climate. To this person, I owe a huge "thanks!" Even in the home-comfortable environment, I need to be thoughtful and mindful of others.

Then eBay introduced the Groups, an environment where we can pick our topics of interest, form a Group, and invite others to join.  The fast, post button is still in place and the need for thoughtful communication is needed just as much, if not more so.  Leaders and moderators are in place to keep the environment safe and friendly.

My trials and errors of communicating on the Boards and Groups have taught me much. Not every person is going to agree with me, but it is okay for us to disagree in an agreeable manner. I am responsible for my words and my words only.  Even though, we have the commonality of eBay, we each have diverse backgrounds of training and upbringing. We can enjoy each other's differences and learn from one another.

Some of us, by nature, are open while others take a while to warm up and bare our souls. Some of us will share any trade tips and secrets while others are secretive.  Some are apt teachers; some are not as patient. Yet, together in a climate of mutual respect, we can appreciate and enjoy our differences.

Yes, there are some hard, fast rules. Profanity will not be tolerated, nor name-calling, nor disrespectfulness to each other. We learn to treat others as we would like to be treated. We are to be friendly, kind, thoughtful, and supportive.  Yes, we will have differences, and, yet, some common grounds. If we are constantly at odds in our Board or Group, we may need to look for another one for a better fit.

Let's keep communicating, learning, and finding our niche in one of many delightful areas of the eBay community!