March 10th, 2010
All,
This morning I joined a round table discussion entitled “The Death of Trust in Social Media” hosted by Val-Pierre Ganton of “the grilling” blog. Panelists included:
Richard Brewer Hay, Chief Blogger at eBay
Michael Brito, VP of Social Media at Edelman Digital
Michelle Broderick, Marketing Director at Yelp
According to a survey by Edelman, just 25% of consumers say they trust their friends to give them good information about a company, compared with 45% in 2008. Social marketing is built on the idea that people trust their friends more than they trust official voices so what does it mean for the future of social media? Our discussion was aimed at providing insights on how we’re using and trusting social media today and what the future holds for this space.
We tackled the following questions:
** Is trust in social media dying?
** Do social media platforms need to change in order to adapt to peoples’ behavioral evolution on the web? How so?
** Is there a difference in the community’s trust when we compare transactional and non-transactional social networks?
** Is the future of trust likely to be the migration towards official voices or your friend’s recommendations?
Here is an archive of our conversation. Apologies for the poor sound quality at the beginning… I’ll be getting a cleaner version shortly. For now…
Posted in 
March 9th, 2010
Of all the fashion capitals, London produces the most daring fashion. So naturally, the trends that come off the London Fashion Week runways are usually the most progressive of the season.
Killer Prints
Basso & Brooke (Photo by Antonio de Moraes Barros Filho/WireImage)
In New York, we saw geometric cuts that allowed flirty peeks at the skin. But what was peek-a-boo in New York mutated into no holds barred across the pond. Ann Sofie Back randomly slashed dresses and body suits leaving little to the imagination; Mark Fast’s body-con numbers had a series of holes, which created patterns all over the body; and Danielle Scutt’s alpaca coat featured semi-circular cuts at each side about the waist. Mario Schwab returned to London from New York, and followed up his work at Halston with a more rigid outing, complete with with rectangular necklines that framed faces.
Mark Fast & Mary Katrantzou (Photo by Antonio de Moraes Barros Filho/WireImage)
Burberry Prorsum (Photo by Chris Moore/Catwalking/Getty Images)
Michael Van der Ham presented himself with the incredibly difficult task of stitching together panels of silk, wool and lace into outfits. Thankfully, he has the construction skills to execute this challenge, which he proved in appealingly light dresses. Peter Pilotto took on the same task and achieved it equally well, but his technique was less organic and more geometric. Burberry’s Prorsum’s show was live streamed in 3D all over the world, and Christopher Bailey’s update of the labels heritage included patcwork paneled lace pencil skirts.
Marni Golden Silk & Wool Patchwork Tank Top (buy it now price, $269)
Robert Cordero is editor at JC Report, an influential online global style publication, where he also works on the new media company’s business development and marketing initiatives.
March 9th, 2010
eBay launched the Green Team Challenge earlier today and, in doing so, committed to saving up to a quarter of a million acres of rainforest for consumers who choose to reuse. For the first 250,000 people that pledge to reuse on eBay, an acre of rainforest will be protected in their name through a new collaboration with Team Earth, a unique coalition of NGOs, private sector companies and individuals convened by Conservation International (CI).
“We are delighted that eBay continues to demonstrate their strong support for the environment by becoming a member of Team Earth,” said Julie Blackwell, Senior Director of Team Earth at Conservation International. “eBay’s passionate community has changed the way we shop and we have no doubt that they can change the way we consume. They are a perfect partner to rally collective action around some of the most pressing environmental issues of our day.”
eBay also introduced its new green shopping hub – green.ebay.com – designed to help consumers access the millions of green products available on the marketplace. The hub encourages consumers to follow three simple guidelines: first, choose items that are pre-owned, vintage or refurbished; second, check whether an item is made from sustainable materials, such as those featured on WorldofGood.com by eBay; and third, choose energy and other resource saving products.
I became an eBay Green Team member shortly after I joined eBay back in 2008 and it now boasts over 150,000 members!
Throughout March and April, eBay will additionally leverage its powerful eBay Giving Works program to generate funds for a variety of environmental organizations in an effort to extend the impact of the campaign further. A series of high-profile charity auctions will offer consumers the opportunity to bid on a variety of one-of-a-kind items and experiences that will benefit green nonprofits and causes, including The Nature Conservancy, Make it Right, and The Uniform Project’s beneficiary organization, the Akanksha Fund.
Related Reads:
NY Times: EBay Highlights Conservation as a Benefit of Buying Used
Cheers,
RBH
March 6th, 2010
eBay Wholesale Sources News
I just returned from the ASD/AMD Wholesale Trade Show in Las Vegas. I found tons of new sources who will work with small online sellers and great products to sell on eBay and Amazon.
I am working on an expanded special issue of The eBay Sellers News to come out next week that will feature triple the number of wholesale sources we usually provide. So look for the new issue and if you don’t already subscribe you may want to. The eBay and Online Seller’s News is FREE. It comes out twice monthly and is the oldest and largest newsletter for professional eBay, Amazon and online sellers.
Click here to read the current issue
March 5th, 2010
From the @eBayCP folks: eBay Certified Provider Kyozou Helps Sellers Maximize Efficiency
March 5th, 2010
Met with folk in Trust & Safety today, then saw this article. Pretty timely to say the least. A very good read: Online Advertising Recall
March 5th, 2010
Shopping Cart and eCommerce News | Will New USPS Plan Affect Your Ecommerce Business? http://ow.ly/1pIp5u
March 5th, 2010
Heading off to a meeting with the Trust & Safety team. Wonder if they have any info nuggets for Ink.
March 5th, 2010
@rksmythe You want the whole face? I’m thinking about adding the red shoes to the foot of the blog. Thoughts? 
March 5th, 2010
From left: John Donahoe, Srivathsan Canchi, Anand Gangadharan, Pierre Omidyar
Demos in the Social Media & Finding and Internal Tools tent
Demos in the Mobile App room
To see all the photos from the event, click here. To view the video of the kickoff with Pierre and John, click here.
Cheers,
RBH