It's our job to make eBay a place where people feel comfortable buying and selling. We're here to protect users' identities and protect their money through PayPal, so we're supporting the Get Safe Online awareness week

The Get Safe Online campaign aims to help individuals and micro-businesses across the UK to protect themselves against internet security risks, and to provide information, advice and updates through its website. As a founding member of Get Safe Online, safety online is an integral part of eBay.

We take our eBay security responsibilities extremely seriously, but everyone can do their bit! We'd encourage you to find the time this week to visit Get Safe Online for some extra advice on staying safe online.

Like millions of other people, we've been using the new social networking sites like MySpace, Bebo and, most recently, Facebook. They're great fun and a good way to keep in touch with old friends and, perhaps, make new ones.

It's like they appeared out of nowhere. The BBC just published a story that claims that Facebook itself is costing British companies £130m a day in lost productivity!

They are obviously popular and, used sensibly, are no threat. However, we have some concerns that fraudsters may be using these kinds of sites to harvest information for targeted attacks. For example, they might be able to deduce passwords or other personal information based on public information in someone's online profile.

Sophos, an anti-virus security firm, published a report last month that claimed that 41 percent of Facebook users happily reveal personal information - such as email addresses, birthdays and phone numbers - to complete strangers.

It's worth taking care when you use social networking sites. Don't reveal too much about yourself and be on your guard against ID thieves. Don't let people pressure you into disclosing more information than you feel comfortable with. A good way to think about this is to ask yourself what you would be happy sharing with a stranger who came up to you in the street. Also, make sure that you use a strong password or pass phrase for your eBay account and a different, equally strong one for your networking site. Don't make it easy for crooks to break into your account.

For more information about online safety, visit GetSafeOnline.org.

So, you’re not in Kansas anymore but how did you end up at eBay?
I started here in December 2004, working on strategic planning and on the consumer side. But I joined the Trust and Safety team about a year ago – and haven’t looked back. When I was working on strategy, it was obvious that trust and safety, in the general sense, was a priority for us. That was when we started building the team and why I wanted to be part of it.

What’s it like to work at eBay?
Fun and challenging. The people are really great – they’re passionate about working for the eBay community. But they’re not corporate clones. Their diversity reflects the eBay community as a whole. It’s certainly not like any other company I’ve worked for.

What’s the most eBay-ish thing that’s happened to you?
‘eBay-ish’!  I guess it would have to be meeting customers at the eBay University. I love talking to people about their businesses and it’s great to meet people who are passionate about eBay. You can see how what you do impacts people. At the same time, it reflects the complexity of what eBay does and the challenges we face.
There’s also the fact that whenever I mention where I work socially, people always have a tale to tell about eBay. Mostly good. Sometimes not so much. I feel like an ambassador sometimes.

Do you buy and sell on eBay yourself?
Of course! We just moved house and I’ve buying all kinds of things, mainly decorative stuff and – today – a wastebasket. We also sold off a lot of clutter from the house.