Section A.3. eBay on the Air

A.3. eBay on the Air

eBay Radio is a weekly two- hour call-in program broadcast live over the Internet. The show's host is Jim Griffith, known around eBay as "Griff," eBay's first-ever customer service rep and currently in charge of eBay's education programs (Section A.5.3). You can listen to the live broadcast or recordings of archived shows right through your computerjust the thing when you're slaving over a hot auction.

Tip: Griff takes live calls during the eBay Radio broadcast. If you have a question to ask, call 888-327-0061. It's a rare opportunity to talk to a real live (former) eBay customer service rep by phone.

TROUBLESHOOTING MOMENT
Radio Daze

eBay Radio comes to your computer via streaming audio, a way Web sites can send data that lets you listen to live broadcasts over the Internet. To listen to streaming audio, your computer needs a sound card, speakers , and some kind of media player software for your computer; most computers come with these things already installed, and you don't need to do anything to get them working with eBay Radio. But if you try listening to an eBay Radio broadcast and it doesn't work, these tips can help.

Not all media players work with eBay Radio. For Windows, you need Windows Media Player or Real Player, which are probably already on your computer, although you may need toupdate your version. To get or to update Windows Media Player, go to www.microsoft.com/ windows /windowsmedia; for Real Player, go to www.real.com/ player and look for the link to the free, basic RealPlayerunless you want to pay for a fancier version. After you've downloaded the latest version of your media player, go back to the eBay Radio home page (www.wsradio.com/ebayradio) and click "listen live" or, if you want to listen to archived shows, click Audio Archives and then, from the eBay Audio Archives page that appears, choose the show you want and click the kind of media player you use.

For Mac fans, listening in is a little more complicated. First, you need to install Windows Media Player for Macs. You can download it free; go to www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia, look in the left-hand menu for Resources, then click Downloads and select the version of Windows Media Player for Macs that you want: 7.1 for Mac OS 8.1 and higher, or 9 for OS X.

You might encounter some problems trying to use Windows Media Player for Macs. One common problem is that you can't hear contentwhich is the whole point of getting the media player in the first place. If you have trouble hearing, try this: start Windows Media Player and then select File Open URL. Type in the Web address of the program you want to listen to (or copy and paste it from your Web browsers address bar). That should force Windows Media Player to tell you what you want to hear. If not, head to wsRadio.com's special troubleshooting page for Macs:www.wsradio.com/mac_help.htm.

Occasionally, heavy Internet traffic can break the constant data stream. When this happens, the sound temporarily stops, and you'll see a rebuffering message on your media player. It means that your computer must pause and wait until it has collected enough data to keep playing.

Internet talk radio station wsRadio.com hosts the show. To start listening:

1. Point your Web browser to www.wsradio.com/ebayradio .

   

   Figure A-6. eBay Radio broadcasts weekly via wsRadio.com. Currently you can listen to the two-hour live show on Tuesdays beginning at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time, but check the wsRadio.com schedule for any changes. Clicking the "listen live" button tunes you in to whatever wsRadio.com show is playing at the moment (not necessarily eBay Radio). To listen to an eBay Radio show you missed, click "audio archives."

   
   Note: A million listeners from more than 180 countries visit wsRadio.com each month. eBay Radio is the site's most popular show.

2. Click the "listen live" button to listen to a live broadcast of eBay Radio .

   The show currently airs on Tuesdays beginning at 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time. If that day and time doesn't happen to synch up with when you want to listen, you can always listen to a rerun. To do so, click "audio archives." Figure A-7 shows the archives for eBay Radio.

Tip: If you keep forgetting when the show is supposed to be on or if you want to know in advance what this week's show will cover, join the eBay Radio group and you'll get an email reminder before each show. From eBay, go to Community Groups News & Events eBay Radio Broadcasts Join Group to sign up.

A.3.1. More Radio Programs

In addition to eBay Radio, wsRadio.com offers an eBay Resource Directory filled with free (and fee) tips and workshops. On the main page (www.wsradio.com/ebayradio), click the left-hand www.ebayradio. info link (or type that address into your Web browser's address box) to see what's in the eBay Resource Directory, shown in Figure A-8.

Tip: Want to add eBay Radio transcripts to your own Web page? Include this HTML code in your page:

Figure A-7. You can browse through archived eBay Radio shows by year and month. If you're looking for a particular topic, click "ARCHIVES by TOPIC." You'll find tips for buyers and sellers, as well as special topics like eBay Pioneers and category-specific discussions. The top-right Search box searches the entire wsRadio.com site, not just eBay Radio programs.

Figure A-8. The buttons in the lefthand menu offer tips and resources to sharpen your eBay skills. If you'd rather skim through written transcripts than spend hours listening, there's a link that lets you do so. Some of the links are to free info; others are to products or services you can buy.

wsRadio.com has some other programming that eBayers might want to listen in on, including a couple of shows sponsored by Entrepreneur magazine: Making Money on eBay and the Entrepreneur E-Biz Show. Other shows in the Business category cover real estate, marketing, and best practices for business. Collectors of stamps, coins , or art will find shows about their passion in the Hobbies and Enthusiasts category. From the wsRadio.com main page (www.wsradio.com/ebayradio), click the left-hand "shows az" button to see the list of shows shown in Figure A-9.

Figure A-9. The middle of the page displays a list of all wsRadio.com shows in alphabetical order. The left-hand menu groups shows by category; hover your cursor over a category to see a list of shows in that category.

Tip: Get some publicity by hosting your own weekly or twice-a-month wsRadio.com show. If you have business or shopping tips to share or expert knowledge that relates to your eBay biz, let your inner talk show host out to play. Email your idea to [e-mail].