Databases: eBay and Kaboodle Launch New Site for Collectors: MyCollectibles
Those who visit your library or info center looking for info on collectibles (whatever they might be) will most likely want to take a look at a new site, a partnership between auction jauggernaut eBay and collectible site/social network, Kaboodle. The MyCollectibles site can be found either at http://mycollectibles.kaboodle.com or via eBay at http://www.ebay.com/mycollectibles. Items listed can also be for sale. Key features:
+ Browsing for members with similar interests
+ Ability to vote on pages/collections:
+ Import items purchased on eBay
+ Here’s one member’s U.S. stamp collection
Only issue so far is that tags and categories, even with the database being small, can lead to lots of false drops.
+ The tag “Washington” turns up stamps of the first president as well as historic football schedules for the University of Washington.
+ Will use of the tag “reissue” find and apply synonyms for the term? What exactly does reissue mean. Might it mean one thing for record collectors but something else for furniture collectors?
+ A search for “amps” (amplfiers) turns up several results. The distinction via items and pages (pull-down next to search box) might be confusing for some users. There is one amp page but several amp items. A search for amplifiers does not turn up the amp page or items.
+ Filters also need work. A search for “cards” offers well, hear, time, and legal as refinements. Not very helpful.
+ At this early stage, MyCollectibles would be an interesting place to try “controlled” or “fielded” tagging if (and it’s a big one) people would do it. I’m not so sure. However, if tags are to help find related material (especially as a database grows larger) without some form of structure it might cause wasted time, the opposite of what it’s supposed to do especially for novice users.

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