There's a lot written already on what is happening at eBay Live! this year. The best source I've seen is of course, AuctionBytes. Ina and David Steiner have great coverage of the details, along with their reporters Julia Wilkinson and Greg Holden.
As I listened to the keynote address yesterday morning I listened for what wasn't said, and noticed the overall mood of the room. It was a huge room, the same room that the closing gala will be held, and it seemed pretty packed.
When John Donahoe came out, a small group of people rose to their feet and I was a bit surprised - until I noticed they were nearly all wearing staff shirts...a standing 'O' from the paid staff doesn't count, sorry.
Mr. Donahoe's speech seemed like a make-up speech to me. There were his parents in the front row, and pictures of him as a kid, very humanizing stuff. He talked of growing up in Chicago, all the while sticking close to the teleprompter.
He said "change is hard, but essential," and that eBay's values have not changed, but the world around us has changed a lot. He really emphasized that changes have been made, and will be made in the weeks and months ahead - for the collective good of all 84 million active users. He said their decisions were made based on what is good for all of us.
Lorrie Norrington also took the humanizing approach. Talking about the little dog paintings she buys on eBay. She and Mr. Donahoe talked about their feedback (146 and 172 respectively) and how she uses the site just like everyone else.
I noticed an interesting bit of body language with both Lorrie Norrington and John Donahoe. Maybe I'm being petty, but they both "steepled" their fingers as they spoke to us. If you've ever read about body language, you know this means they feel a sense of superiority over those to whom they're speaking. Some people say this gesture indicates a "know it all" attitude. I'm just sayin'...
Lorrie talked all about trust and doing the "right thing". She got booed when she mentioned feedback, and in an awkward, and seemingly scripted moment welcomed the criticism as "part of what makes this a great community." ("Okay, so if they boo you, just say, 'that is what makes this community great...'")
With the announcement that all PayPal addresses will be considered confirmed in countries where PayPal does business, people clapped. Otherwise, it seemed very subdued and sad to me. The trust between seller and buyer may be improved, but the trust between eBay and sellers is definitely at an all-time low. Lorrie had to keep saying, "C'mon!! That's a great thing! Let's hear it! Isn't that great?!" (insert sound of crickets).
PayPal Seller Protection and PayPal Buyer Protection sounds like it's getting closer to Amazon's A-to-z Guarantee. Amazon manages that process well though, where eBay has a habit of being heavy-handed and throwing the baby out with the bathwater, overdoing things, in other words. I haven't heard sellers ask what the cost will be to them for this buyer protection. I foresee lots of angry sellers, with money held in PayPal accounts, due to PayPal Buyer Protection claims. I predict it will not be pretty.
The response was definitely not that of other pep-rally style eBay Live! events. This is an injured crowd, and they are not getting the healing they want. I'm heading over for Saturday, where I'm presenting my blogging seminar again. I presented yesterday to a very large, mostly full room. Many, many people say they want to use blogs to promote their off-eBay businesses. Very interesting trends here...
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Interesting observations, especially since I’m debating whether to start an ebay store, or go with Yahoo at this point. Still haven’t decided, but I’ll be keeping my ears open about new developments. thanks.
““C’mon!! That’s a great thing! Let’s hear it! Isn’t that great?!” (insert sound of crickets)”
This made me laugh out loud. It’s sad, though. Most of the pictures I’ve seen from Live have a lot of very grim-faced people in them. There doesn’t seem to be any joy, like last year (which was my first and only eBay Live).
While I’m glad to hear that smaller sellers are getting some new benefits, I fear it’s not going to be enough. I haven’t sold on eBay since before the changes took place and keep waiting for things to settle, but there seems to always be more changes around the corner. It’s kind of hard to keep adjusting your business plan every week.
I wish eBay would stop looking down at us and instead offer us a hand up instead of bashing us with sticks every time we try to stand.
Following the PowerSeller luncheon I had an opportunity to speak very briefly with both Lorrie and John and noticed a significant difference in the manner in which they engage people.
Lorrie faced me square on and looked at me while listening intently and then commenting. Her voice is level and gives the impression of sincerity. She was non-confrontational.
John, on the other hand, stepped in quite close and used his height to intimidate. His tone is very confrontational - almost as though he does not at all appreciate being questioned. I got the impression that he is quite impatient with people if they do not get immediately to the point.
I also noticed a significant difference at the Gala. John came out on stage to do his bit but then disappeared. Perhaps he had had enough confrontation for the week and decided to bow out without partying.
Lorrie, on the other hand, stood alone in front of the stage drinking a beer directly from the bottle and bopped along to the music. You could have mistaken her for any other eBayer in attendance. I actually have a good piece of video of her before she got camera shy.
Perhaps we have the wrong CEO.
Good to see you at Live! Steve… keep up the good battle.
Thanks for those comments.
@Bill - Great seeing you again this year. I really appreciate the added insight from the personal meetings. It just reinforces my gut feelings.
I have been an Ebayer for a long time but since October have been doing IT as a second career. This was my first time at Ebay Live and I did learn things but felt the management was gearing toward the buyers ( who pay no fees) more than the sellers who foot the bills. I agree we need customers but we still pay the bills.
PS: I attended your class on blogging on Saturday. It was the most knowledgeably and clearly presented class I attended. Thank you.
I too attended the keynote addresses and found them mediocre at best. There was something wrong about all the audio and visual stimulation prior to the speeches to pump up the audience…wasn’t that why they were serving coffee?
I expected a lot more from Lorrie and John but walked out of the gala room thinking, “that was it?”
Glad they’re taking a year off from ebay live. Aside from the information sessions and booths, it’s become more of a chase for pins.
And I don’t want to hear that Batman tv theme song for a long, long time.
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