eBay In Person:
Arlene Brenner

Arlene with a valentine poster given to her by valentine expert Nancy Rosin

This month we meet Arlene Brenner, a Senior Content Manager at eBay. Content managers write the instructional text that you see on the site (for example, on the Sell Your Item form and Help pages). As the very first writer hired at eBay, Arlene has seen the site and the Community evolve for over seven years.

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When did you start at eBay and what did you do before?
I started at eBay in August of 1998, after working as a writer/editor at various Silicon Valley companies for many years. I was already an avid fan of eBay, using it to add to my collection of antique clothing buttons. Like many other early Community members, I had become friends with some of the sellers I'd bought from. In an email to one of them I wondered what it would be like to work at eBay. “The company is probably too small for a full-time writer,” I wrote. My friend encouraged me by saying “You'll never know until you try.” Shortly after that I set up an interview at eBay, and it turned out that they did need a writer! I became the first writer hired at eBay.

What are your responsibilities at eBay?
I am a Senior Content Manager in eBay's Content Management Group, which is part of a larger group called User Experience and Design. Along with other content managers, I work to ensure that text on the site (for example, instructional text on features, product-related emails, error messages, Help pages, and more) adheres to the "voice of eBay" and conforms to our content style guide that we've developed to meet the needs of our Community.

Many Community members know you for doing the Valentine's Day chat every year. How did it all start?
In 1999 I started an eBay Community newsletter called eBay Life (which was the precursor to The Chatter). It was on the site from 1999 to 2000. Like The Chatter, it celebrated our Community's achievements and collecting interests. For Valentine's Day 1999, I was researching an article on valentines for the newsletter and interviewed Nancy Rosin, who's the Vice President of the National Valentine Collector's Association. For over 30 years, Nancy has amassed a collection of thousands of valentines, produced a documentary that traces the valentine's evolution over 17 centuries, has appeared on A&E's "Incurable Collector" and the Martha Stewart Living TV show, is a director of the Ephemera Society of America, and has authored five books.

Nancy Rosin and Arlene continue an eBay tradition - don't miss the 2006 Valentine's Day chat, on February 6th, from 2.00 pm - 3.00 pm PST!

Knowing that many eBay members collected valentines, I thought it would be wonderful to have an online chat on one of our discussion boards about antique and contemporary valentines and paper ephemera in general. And that's how the Valentine's Day chat was born.

Nancy and I co-host the Valentine's Day chat each year on the Decorative & Holiday discussion board.

Please share some of your experiences with the Valentine's Day chat over the years. How has this tradition brought the Community together?
The Valentine's Day chat has become a much-loved eBay tradition. Every day on the discussion boards, eBay members like sharing a variety of experiences with each other. On the Valentine's Day chat, we share information about valentines we've received and valentines we've seen on eBay.

We also talk about the history of valentines. We share tips on the care and preservation of antique valentines, and of course, like all eBay collectors, we talk passionately about our collections. It's fascinating to listen to Nancy talk about valentines through the ages, and discovering how they reflected the social contexts of their eras. For example, there are valentines from the Second World War that show soldiers fighting overseas reassuring the “girl they left behind.” Valentines from the Victorian era – needless to say – are quite “prim and propah.”

Men as well as women seem to enjoy the chats. One of them, lott, got so interested that now he helps Nancy with hosting pictures and other technical support during the chats.

What do you like about working at eBay?
I especially love the Community aspect of eBay. Right from its early years, the site was all about passion and excitement – people coming together to buy and sell, to share their collecting interests, and to just have fun. Although both the site and the company have grown immensely since I first started, these aspects are essentially the same. I also like to think I'm making a difference – the fact that the text I and my fellow content managers write on the site helps so many people in their regular eBay activities gives me a feeling of satisfaction.

Over the years, the power of the eBay Community continues to amaze me with the unique stories I have seen shared on the boards and in the news.

Arlene's mementoes from a graceful era

What skills have you found yourself utilizing most in your career at eBay?
Spelling, grammar, and punctuation! [laughs]. Seriously though, apart from these essential tools of the writer and editor's trade, a key skill that I've found useful is the ability to work well in cross-functional teams. Most projects at eBay involve working with people in a wide variety of roles – technology, interface design, product management, creative design, quality assurance, and so on. It's critical to understand how the pieces fit together to make our projects successful.

What do you buy or sell on eBay?
I collect antique clothing buttons and vintage English tea cups. I've always loved items that have romantic associations, and my collections remind me of a bygone world when customs were more genteel and graceful.

What's your most memorable eBay moment?
Helping Meg Whitman, eBay's President and CEO, write a speech she presented to President Bill Clinton at the White House in 1999. (How many writers get the opportunity to do that?)

I remember the day vividly. eBay's then-VP of Marketing called me into his office and said that Meg would like my help in writing a speech. I responded, “Okay. Who's it for?” He replied, “The President.” Still oblivious, I asked, “The president of what?” and was stunned at his answer. “The President of the United States.”

Half of me was excited at this marvelous opportunity and honor, and the other half wanted to bolt from the room because I was so nervous about getting the speech perfect.

It was for a presentation at the President's Panel on E-Commerce, and, as things turned out, Meg's speech went very well. What tickled me even more was that, after Meg's speech, President Clinton joked about becoming an eBay seller after leaving the White House at the end of his term!

What do you like to do for fun ?
I continue to use eBay to add to my collections, and I also enjoy traveling when I get a chance. Recently I went to Paris for the first time and had a memorable lunch at the Jules Verne restaurant in the Eiffel Tower on my birthday!

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