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How To Create A Listing | Glossary Of Terms | How To Sign Up For A Store
HOW TO CREATE A LISTING
Before you create a listing, you will need to have your pictures ready. You may use up to 8 pictures for each listing. They should be no more than 500 pixels on their biggest side. They should also be compressed so that the file size is less than 100kb.
Each picture needs to be saved in .jpg or .gif format with a name of its own. If you name a picture with the same name as a picture already being used in another listing, it will replace the first picture, which will mess up your listing.
To create a folder that will be easy to find, right click with your mouse on the desktop of your computer, where the icons are. Click "new" and then choose "folder" and name it MSM. Save your pictures into this folder.
One way to name your pictures is by date. For instance if the date is September 9, and I had 6 picture for 2 listings, I would name them like this:
9-9-01a, 9-9-01b, 9-9-01c, 9-9-02a, 9-9-02b, 9-9-02c
This gives me three pictures for the first listing and three for the second listing, and unless these pictures are still there on this day next year, there is no chance of them being rewritten.
You may host your pictures with Main Street Mall Online, or you may use another host of your choice.
If you need help getting started on cropping, compressing and saving your pictures, please ask for help. We are happy to help you, if we know you need it.
Now for the listing!
1. Go to the mall where your store is located, and click on the "for sellers" button. Enter your login name and your password, then click enter.
2. At your sellers account page, there is a menu list. Click on "create a new listing".
This page is for a listing done with the listing form, and not for using a template. If you are using your own template, "click here" for those directions. DO NOT USE HTML IN THIS FORM!
3. If your pictures are NOT hosted somewhere already, you will need to use the boxes that are numbered pix 1, pix 2, pix 3, etc. Click on the button that says "browse" to find the file on your computer. If you created a folder on your desktop earlier, this is where you will find the files. You will need to click the next "browse" button for the second picture. Do not try to place two files in the same box.
4. Click on "upload pictures". This brings you to a new page. Click where it says, "create a new listing". This will bring you back to the listing form, but this time your picture URL will show in the box.
5. If you have your pictures hosted already, click on "use your own host" and then enter the URL into the boxes shown as Pix 1, Pix 2, Pix 3, etc.
6. Click Pic information goes here
7. Enter the title for your listing in the "Item Title" box. Be sure to use several good keywords so that your listing can be found easier by the customers and the search engines.
8. Chose a catagory from the drop-down box.
9. Type or paste your description into the box labeled "Description".
10. If you would like to have a bulleted list in your listing, use the next boxes for this. You may put a list tile in if you wish. This feature puts a list into your listing with a black dot before each of the numbered words or phrases.
11. To include the chart, tick in the box that says "Include Chart" and then fill in the boxes that are appropriate for your item.
12. Next is any special terms that is only for that item. General terms are automatically entered from you store setup page that you entered before, when you were setting up your store.
13. Enter the rest of the information in the boxes given; price, quantity and shipping information. If you have chosen to always use the paypal cart then you do not need to tick the box. However, if you did not chose this option in the store setup, then you will need to tick this box in each listing that you wish the paypal shopping cart to be used.
14. external shopping cart information goes here
15. If you would like to put this item on hold or mark the item as sold, please tick the appropriate box. Putting an item on hold means that it will NOT show up in your store. These on hold listings do NOT count towards your allowed number of listings in your chosen store package. For instance, if you have a basic package that allows up to 100 active listings, then you can create more than 100, but any past 100 will need to be on hold. If you chose to mark an item as sold, it will still show up in your store, and will still count towards your limit. There will be a red "sold" placed in the listing so that customers will know that the item is no longer for sale.
16. The reference box is a good place to put any information that will help you locate the item after it is sold. I use storage bins to keep my things in, with each bin having a number written on the side. My reference says B3 when I list something that can be found in bin number 3. This makes it very easy when a purchase is made.
BE SURE TO CLICK ON "WRITE LISTING" TO SAVE YOUR INFORMATION!!! If you do not click on this, then you will have to fill the form out all over again.
If you have any questions or problems, please contact us.
GLOSSARY OF TERMS
Banner - A banner is a rectangular shaped box that is used to advertise, usually it is clickable.
Clickable - When something is clickable, you can point your cursor (the arrow) on it and click. It will take you to a website or other page.
link - A link is like a banner, in that it is clickable and will take you to a website. However, it is often all text and no pictures.
web ring - A web ring is a group of websites that are joined together by a click button at the bottom of the site. When you click the button, it takes you to the next website in the ring.
MySpace - Myspace is a website that has lots of individual "webpages" of anyone that signs up. It is free, and you can use it to post a blog, pictures, banners, text links, music files, messages to friends, etc. It is being used by many to advertise their stores and the items they have for sale. It is a great advertising method.
blog - An online journal or diary, available to others to read. A contraction of weB LOG (BLOG).
HTML - HTML (Hyper-Text Markup Language) is a "code" or language that your web browser understands. Your web browser turns HTML code into pictures and text that we can read on our computer screen.
URL - A URL (Universal Resource Locator) is the address of a webpage or other online document or resource. For instance, the URL for Main Street Mall Online is http://www.mainstreetmallonline.com, and is often times shown without the http:// part at the front, like www.mainstreetmallonline.com
website - Websites are "pages" on the internet where people can go to learn about whatever you want to tell them on your website. Some websites are for fun, some for information only, and some for shopping.
Meta Tags - Meta tags are HTML code where keywords are used.
keywords - Keywords are words that are used to describe or relate to your website or items you have for sale. For instance, if you sell baseballs, keywords would be "baseball", "baseballs", "sports", "team sports", etc.
Search Engines - A search engine is where people go to search for your keywords. Google is the most popular search engine, found at www.google.com.
template - A template is a pre-coded HTML document that allows a person to fill in only specific information, and then with the click of a button, their listing can look like a fabulous webpage, with the background, picture layout, and important information all showing.
picture hosting - Pictures must be hosted on an Internet accessable server in order for others to see them. It is like sending a copy of your pictures or HTML to a big bulletin board. People from all over can then see your pictures when they go to your website.
shopping cart - There are numerous shopping carts available on the net. We use one from paypal as the main Main Street Mall Online shopping cart, but sellers are welcome to use a different one if they like.
cropping pictures - Cropping pictures means getting rid of the unwanted area or background.
compressing pictures - Compressing your pictures will make them smaller and faster to load on other peoples computers. This can be done when saving the cropped picture, and often times shows a slide bar that can be set at different numbers. Something between 25 and 50 percent is a good compression for most photos.
upload - Uploading pictures to a server is what puts them on the server, so that others can see them on the net.
server - A server is a computer that stores all of the website information, HTML and pictures that are uploaded.
radio button - A radio button is a small round circle that you can click in to "select" something. Like a tick box, but round instead.
listing - Each item that you show in your store for sale is a listing. Each listing is on its own page.
shopping cart - Shopping carts online are the same as they are in "real life". It is a way to "store" selected items that someone wishes to purchase. Buyers can put things into their shopping cart and then do more shopping or checkout and pay.
HOW TO SIGN UP FOR A STORE
If you would like, print out these directions to use side by side as you go.
Before you create a store, you will want to have the following:
A banner: This will go at the top of your store page. It should be 620 x 120 pixels in size or less. A banner is not required, but it will make your store look much nicer, and will give the feel of "you".
A thumbnail: The thumbnail picture is the small square picture that is shown in the store directory and the featured store area. This is important to have, as it is the first glance a customer will have of your store. It should be square, and be 96 x 96 pixils in size. If you do not have a thumbnail, there is a default one that will show instead.
A background: There are several backgrounds that you can choose from. However, if you would like to use one that you have chosen from elsewhere, you will need to have the URL for this.
If you do not have these three things, or if you need help creating them, please contact us using the contact us button on the site. They can be changed or added later.
1: From the main directory, find the mall in which you would like to sell your items. Please be sure that all of the items you wish to sell will fit into this catagory. If they do not, you can easily have more than one store, but you will be charged for each store you create.
2: Click on the link on the directory page to go into that mall catagory.
3: Under the Main Street Mall Online banner you will find rows of clickable words and phrases. Be sure to read the Terms of Use, the FAQ (frequently asked questions) page, and the code of conduct page before creating a store.
4: Click on "create new account"
5: Be sure to read the page, and then fill in the boxes with your first name, last name, login name, password, and email address.
6: Select the store package you would like. You can always change this later if you find you need to list more items, or dont need to list as many as you originally thought you might.
7: Select the method of payment you will be using. If you choose paypal, it will set up a subscription for you that automatically pays your store rent each month. There is no contract period, so this can be cancelled at any time. If you cancel it, please be aware of the fact that your store will be deleted very quickly after cancelling your subscription. If you have other intentions, such as changing the method of payment, please contact us PRIOR to cancelling.
8: Click on "enter data".
9: The next page has a paypal button that you need to click on to activate the account. Click this button.
10: You will then be brought to a log-in page. Enter your login name and password, then click "log in".
11: You will now be at the store creation form. Chose your store name, and enter it in the box provided. If you wish, you could give your location so that buyers can get an idea of how long it might take to get their items. If you are not in the US, it is very important to say so here. You dont want to have to deal with an upset buyer because the shipping is higher or slower than they thought it would be. If you do not wish to put a location in, it is not required. You could just put a city and state, or even just say "Main Street".
12: After entering this information, click enter data. Dont worry about the things in the bottom of the page, as we will get back to those.
13: At the top of the page, click where it says "sellers". This will take you to the login page. Enter your login/user name and your password, then click enter.
14: You are now at your sellers account page, where you can update your store and listings. Click on "edit your store".
15: If you have the banner, thumbnail and background already hosted on a server, paste the URL into the boxes provided. If you do not have these hosted on a server, use the boxes that are inside the red dashed box. Click on the "browse" button, and locate it on your computer. After you have found each of them, click on "upload them". These will NOT be saved until you have saved the page at the bottom. You can do this after you finish the rest of the form.
16: If you do not have your own background, chose one of the options shown by clicking in the radio button.
17: Next is the inner background color. In the box of instructions, there is a red clickable "here". Click on this, and chose the color you would like to use. You will need to copy or make note of the color number, and then type or paste it into the box provided. Be sure to include a # sign before the color number. There should be NO spaces.
18: Now chose the font and color of font that you think would look the best with your store.
19: Writing your store descriptions is the next step. The small description is used in the store directory, and gives a brief description of what you offer. The long description goes inside the store, and tells your customers what you, your store or your items are about. This is where you need to use lots of keywords that fit your items. Use brand names, style names, etc. The more words you use, the better. Be sure that every keyword used fits your items. For instance, if you sell bears, use keywords relating to bears, and not to cars.
20: Make a list of these keywords and email it to me so that I can enter them into the google advertising campaign. We want to help your customers find you!
21: Next, enter your shipping, payment, and other terms into the boxes provided. These will show in every listing, so be sure to only put what is pertinent to all of them. You will have the option to enter terms for a specific item when you create that listing.
22: Chose your catagory names. Think carefully about these, and their placement, as it will cause more work later on if you need to change them around. You can use up to 18 catagories, but you are not required to use that many if you dont want to.
23: Selecting your store status is next. Most people will chose to make their store active, however some will want to wait until they have listings ready before they make it visible on the site. Also, if you need to close down while you go on vacation or for whatever reason, just come to this page later and tick the away or offline button and enter a brief message in the box. This message will show to the customers should they click to visit your store, so be careful with your words.
24: If you will be using paypal to accept payments, you will need to enter your paypal email address in the box, and tick to make this default. If you do not make it default, then you will need to tick a paypal button in each listing you create.
25: There are two small tick boxes here. You can tick to show a counter in your store to keep track of the hits that you receive, and you can also chose between having customers use a form box to contact you, or an email address. The advantage of using the form is that it makes your email address private. Customers can only get this from you if you reply to their message.
26: Click on "update store" to save all changes. This is very important! If you forget, you will have to fill out the form again.
Now your store is created, and you are ready to start listing! Yay, you did it!
If you have any questions, please ask: Contact Us.
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