Pinterest
Pinterest is the latest one-word social sharing solution vying for your attention. eBay has started to incorporate Pinterest sharing into our Marketplace and you can read a full breakdown on how to use Pinterest with eBay over on the eBay Stories Blog:

The eBay product team has made it very easy to work with Pinterest, providing a share link to Pinterest with a stylized “P” right next to our symbols for other ways to share favorite items, such as Facebook, Twitter, or by email…

… So, what is all the fuss about Pinterest anyway? In a nutshell, Pinnners (as aficionados of the site are called) like to share items from throughout the web and pin favorites on their page, usually thematically, like an online pinboard. You’re probably thinking “doesn’t Facebook and/or Twitter do something like this already?” and you’d be right. They have similar features, but the cool thing about Pinterest is the layout and ease of use. You can browse through and see photos of items your friends (or other pinners) have found, and re-pin them to your board to check out later. It is a fun, easy way to discover products you may not even have known you wanted, get inspired, and even follow people who share your tastes. The Pinterest mission statement sums it up: “Our goal is to connect everyone in the world through the ‘things’ they find interesting.”

For those of you interested in learning more, there is a FREE webinar tomorrow, “IS YOUR BRAND PINTERESTING? WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TO MARKET ON PINTEREST”:

Join Shoutlet Thursday, April 19 at 2PM Eastern/11AM Pacific where they’ll cover:
** Pinterest basics
** Current adoption and audience statistics
** Benefits and strategies for marketers
** Rules of engagement
** Examples of brands using the platform in creative ways

Facebook Timeline
By now you’ll have probably converted to the new Facebook Timeline format. With that you’ve probably noticed that there are some new image requirements that have come along with the change.

For those of you managing FB pages for your respective businesses, here is a great cheat sheet resource for new Facebook Timeline image requirements.

Also check out, Why Facebook’s New Timeline Apps will Change the Way Brands use Facebook.

Cheers,
RBH

OVERVIEW:
Worldwide Brands are the What to Sell and Where to Get it Experts! Join us for this webinar to learn about how you can beat the recession with eCommerce using the best techniques in product sourcing and market research. Knowledge is power and Worldwide Brands will be sharing some of the research that they’ve been conducting on the recession and the impact to eCommerce.

Colette Marshall is one of Worldwide Brands™ most knowledgeable Product Sourcing experts. Colette knows the wholesale industry inside out, and understands what it takes to build a successful eCommerce business. She conducts numerous teleseminars, webinars, and product sourcing workshops throughout the year, on the importance of REAL Product Sourcing for home-based eBiz.

Questions/topics covered in the Webinar:
– What is product sourcing?
– Why is product sourcing so important?
– Using multiple sourcing techniques. Why is that so important to an Online Seller? What does that do for their E-Biz?
– Is eCommerce being impacted by the recession?
– Tips learned from suppliers and merchants
– Where to go to further your Education to be a step ahead of your competition

More information is available at: http://blog.worldwidebrands.com/?kbid=20807

Title: PESA / ECMTA Community Roundtable – Product Sourcing in Difficult Times
Date: Thursday, June 12, 2008
Time: 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM EDT
System Requirements – PC-based attendees:
Required: Windows® 2000, XP Home, XP Pro, 2003 Server, Vista
System Requirements – Macintosh®-based attendees:
Required: Mac OS® X 10.3.9 (Panther®) or newer

Cheers,
RBH