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James Sager
12-12-2008, 01:20 PM
We finally completed the Google Base feed that so many have been waiting for. To get to this section in the members area, click the "My Account" tab in the members area, then click the "Google Base" sub tab. This page will have a "GO" button, which will export all your auctions to a csv file on your pc. You then upload this csv to Google Base, and enjoy a massive burst of exposure for your items.

Do I need to have an account with Google to be able to submit this feed?
Yes, you will need to have an account with Google base (http://base.google.com/)to be able to submit your feed. Please go to Google Base to create an account or sign in.

How to submit your feed to Google Base
Click the "GO" button above, to generate your feed that you will be submitting to google. Be sure to remember where you save this file to, as you will need to upload this to your Google base account.

Before you submit your data feed, you'll need to register it with Google Base. Registering your feed lets Googles system know to expect your file and what item type it is. This is a one time process, as your generated feed will have the same name every time.

To register your feed, please follow this link (http://base.google.com/base/newfeed?ensureUrlPresent) and sign in. If you're already logged in to your Google Base account, select the Data feeds tab. You'll see a button to register a New Data Feed.

After you click on this link, you may be directed to the About me page. Fill out as many of the fields in this page as possible. Please be sure to provide your WeBidz store URL, which can be found on this page (http://www.webidz.com/members_area.php?page=store&section=setup) in your members area. Click the Next button when you're done.

There are several fields on the Specify a data feed page:

File name: Enter the name of the file you'll be submitting. So create your first export from the site, and use that name for your feed.

Target Country: Specify the location where you'd like your items displayed in the search results. For example, the target country "United States" will display listings in Google Base US search results. Remember, data feeds must meet the requirements for the target country's version of Google Base.

Item type: Select the appropriate item type from the drop-down menu. If you can't find an item type that describes the information you're submitting, you can define your own custom item type. To do this, click on the circle labeled Submit a custom type, then enter the name of your custom item type.
When you're done specifying your feed settings, click on the Register data feed button. After viewing the formatting information, you'll see your feed listed in your account. Now that it's registered, you can submit your file to Google Base. Just click the upload file button for the appropriate feed. Browse your pc to find the file you created earlier, then click the upload and process this file button. Your feed should be live and searchable within 24-48 hours.


How long will my items stay on Google Base?

Each of your submitted items will display in Google Base until the end time listed for each auction.

So if you have multiple items ending each day, you may want to submit your feed on a daily basis, or at least a couple times a week.

Lanascountry
12-12-2008, 02:11 PM
This is wonderful news for the community, James!
Thank you so much.:)

WRH
12-12-2008, 03:06 PM
James, I uploaded the .csv file to Googlebase and it dosen't take csv files. What am I doing wrong? Googlebase says that it only takes .xml and .txt files at this time. I'm confused.

WRH
12-12-2008, 03:48 PM
James, FYI, I took a chance and changed the file name from .csv to .xml and resubmitted it to Google Base and it took OK.:) It says that the items will be searchable within 24 hrs.

James Sager
12-12-2008, 03:56 PM
Can you take a screenshot of the page that is telling you this? We have test uploaded fine with .csv. In fact, I just uploaded another test .csv file, and all went smooth.

WRH
12-12-2008, 04:03 PM
I'll try to do a screenshot if I can remember how. If not, I'll get the URL and send that to you. Will that be OK?

WRH
12-12-2008, 04:08 PM
James, Here the URL. HTH - http://www.google.com/base/updatefeed?fid=1281482

James Sager
12-12-2008, 04:31 PM
On that screen, do you have it set to auto detect? The csv format is the same as would be present in a txt file... so it should work fine. Did you receive an error when you went to upload?

WRH
12-12-2008, 04:42 PM
Yes, I had (auto detect) selected. & Yes, I got an error message that said that .cvs files were not allowed.

James Sager
12-12-2008, 05:06 PM
I just got done modifying the code, so it now downloads as a .txt file... So hopefully this should work for you, and others. I did a test upload, and this also worked for us.

Now gotta update the instructions.