A social networking Web site that gives ecommerce sellers from any marketplace a chance to meet and share tips and opinions is now online. PlumDrop.com is not intended to replace chat rooms and discussion boards already in use on eBay and other marketplaces, according to Tomas Salas, the site's founder. Rather, Plumdrop gives sellers a chance to compare notes on their chosen venues, describe what they sell, and meet one another for fun and profit.

"It's intended for fun and to improve business," says Salas, the co-owner of the auction management service InkFrog and a founder of the ecommerce storefront service BuyItSellIt (BISI). "I have noticed through BISI and InkFrog that a lot of sellers buy from other sellers online. People not only want to see what other people are selling, but they want to purchase from other small, independent merchants rather than shopping at mainstream venues."

Plumdrop.com is free to use, and members have the option of subscribing to existing discussion groups, participating in live chat sessions, or starting up their own user groups.

Plumdrop.com generates ad revenue for Salas; a subscriber to a group about antiques might see a relevant ad provided by Google's AdSense service. About 70 users have signed up since the site was announced to InkFrog and BuyItSellIt users last Friday. Plumdrop.com gives sellers a place where they can post links to their online stores and sales items. But the primary goal is to give sellers a chance to "meet and greet" their peers. "I see it as a one-stop shop where small ecommerce merchants can come together, socialize, and learn from others in their field."

About the author
Greg Holden, who lives in Chicago, is the author of several books about eBay, including "How to Do Everything with Your eBay Business," second edition, and "Secrets of the eBay Millionaires," both published by Osborne-McGraw Hill. Find out more on Greg's Web site (http://www.gregholden.com), which includes a blog related to his book "Internet Babylon: Secrets, Scandals and Shocks on the Information Superhighway," published by Apress.