On an eBay page, one simple word serves as the gateway to a much wider world. When you click on Community in the eBay toolbar, you move beyond your immediate concerns for what you are selling, who's buying, who's paying, and who still owes you money. The Community page gives you the option to connect with:

• Discussion boards where you can discuss any eBay-related topic

• Public and private groups where you can share common interests

• An answer center where eBay members can help other members with questions or problems

• Chat rooms where members can talk with other members in informal sessions

While focusing on selling, buying, and building your business, you may be tempted to skip these facilities. Yet, they can be excellent sources of information, helpful tips, ideas, and contacts. If you invest a few minutes periodically in exploring these sites, you can learn about features you haven't yet tried or hear details of new scams that may victimize sellers or buyers. You may meet someone who has worked his or her way through a business problem similar to one you are experiencing now. This advice may be the catalyst that gets you going in a new and more promising direction.

Discussion Boards

The eBay discussion boards are divided into three major categories:

• Community help boards

• General discussion boards

• Category-specific discussion boards

The community help discussion boards focus on topics ranging from escrow services and shipping insurance to PayPal and various policy and technical issues. The general discussion boards provide gathering places for eBay members who want to talk about almost any topic under the sun. The category-specific discussion boards, meanwhile, zero in on problems and questions involving different auction categories or aspects of eBay. For example, someone seeking help with improving the lighting of their eBay photographs can get tips and advice from participants in the photography discussion board.

Groups

The Groups link takes you to a Groups Center where you can search for discussion groups that share your interests. You can search by Zip Code or keyword. The page also provides links to:

• Collectors clubs, for items ranging from antiques to trading cards

• Mentoring groups, for help with buying and selling

• Regional groups, organized by state or regions, such as eBayers who live in east Texas

• Seller groups, for sellers, Power Sellers, Trading Assistants, and others

• Special interest groups, for computers, crafts, fan clubs, stay-at-home parents, and other categories

Answer Center

The Answer Center is a collection of member-to-member forums where you can get help with issues related to using eBay, such as international shipping, packaging, policies, and user's agreements.

Reaching Out on Amazon.com

The Amazon.com site offers a link to its Seller Connection message board, where sellers can post questions or comments and get answers or responses from other sellers. To find it, look under the More to Explore heading in a box on the left side of Amazon.com Auctions page. The choices at Seller Connection include:

• Listing Management & Reports Discussion Board

• Shipping, Feedback & Returns Discussion Board

• Seller Soapbox Discussion Board

• Help for New Sellers Discussion Board

• Third-Party Software & Services Discussion Board

Amazon.com's sellers can post questions, share experiences, and get responses from other Amazon sellers. Most of the postings relate to how-to questions and technical points regarding Amazon's features or services. But in the Seller Soapbox area, sellers can vent their anger or concern over issues of the day, warn others of possible scams, voice complaints, or argue with each other, as people might when they meet face-to-face.

Yahoo! Community Page

The Yahoo! Auctions site offers a Community page, which includes links to Yahoo! Groups, where members can interact in a variety of settings. The Community link is found within the Getting Started box in the upper-right corner of the Auctions page in the Yahoo! Shopping area.

Another link on the Community page leads to the Yahoo! Auctions Sellers Group, a discussion board that offers help to all independent sellers using the Yahoo! Auctions site.