eBay has added to the community vibrancy by updating eBay Groups.  There are many upgrades (check out the announcement below) and groups will be unavailable from 7 a.m. PT to 3 p.m PT on June 27 while the upgrades are being installed.

Hi everyone...For almost four years, thousands of members have made lasting friendships and business connections through eBay Groups. Whether you're a buyer looking for other Superman collectors to share your interests with, or an eBay seller in Seattle wanting to network with other locals in the Pacific Northwest, eBay Groups can help.

New features and options coming soon

And now eBay Groups will be getting a facelift! We're adding a number of new features and options that let you personalize your Groups and make it easier for you to connect with others. Many of these changes come at the request of our Group members themselves, so I'm pleased to give you the rundown on a few key highlights:

-New Personalization and Design Options. We've added personalized touches everywhere. You'll see more information about the Groups relevant to you on the Groups Hub page, and you can customize your own profile with avatars and signature files. In addition, you'll have more choices for the color (or "skin") of your Group, and you can even create your own individual Group icon.

-Easier Communication through Email and Skype. The ability to email individual members within your Group gets much easier -- simply click on their avatar and choose the "mail" option from the drop-down menu. You can also create an address book of members you write to frequently so you can send a note to several of them at once. What's more, Skype will be integrated into Groups so you can contact others by phone, or through the instant messaging client.

-Enhanced Search. Each Group will be able to specify five "tags" – essentially keywords that describe what your Group is all about. Prospective members can search terms that match these tags to help them find relevant Groups more easily.

-New Features for Group Leaders. Group Leaders will be able to add multiple discussion boards to their Group, plus feature specific members, posts, and photos on their Group's home page. You may also choose to open your Group as read-only to non-members to give them a feel for your community's personality (non-members will have to join to actually participate). Finally, you'll have the option of receiving an alert email whenever a member leaves your Group.

eBay Groups Unavailable from 7 a.m. PT to 3 p.m PT on June 27

In order to add these new upgrades, eBay Groups will be taken offline from approximately 7 a.m. Pacific time to 3 p.m. on Wednesday, June 27. Once they are back online, I hope you'll go in and check out all the new features. Enjoy!

Sincerely,

Rachel Makool

Senior Director, Community Development