This morning as I write this column, I am keeping an eye on a live auction where I have left some bids. It got me to thinking about the whole debate as to whether there is any longer a need for in-person auctions. Today, most houses offer either purely remote sales or hybrids. Now for the old school readers, I am sure you are standing up now ranting about the need to return to live salesroom auctions. I do love a live auction, and anyone who has ever been to one knows that it is pure theater. The auctioneer is the actor, director, and producer rolled into one. He or she can be funny, passionate, witty, erudite, or pretty darned boring. Sales took all day and when it ended, it was really more of a question about whether the auctioneer, if his day job was farming, had to get home to take care of the animals. Today, the internet has made the auction world a very small place. In the old days, a piece of New England Chippendale furniture could slip through a Pennsylvania auction for very little money. Locals wanted local items and New Englanders would not waste the time to come down for one item. Now, you can bid from your home or shop, arrange by computer to have it brought to you, and never really have to lift a finger except to open the door for the delivery service. This sounds wonderful for the seller and the auctioneer, who can get the word out in a big way. Except, the internet is a big and broad place and in order to be found, let alone to stand out against all the others who want to be noticed, you need to understand how it works. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is something every online auctioneer needs to learn. You can list that grandfather clock in your sale and wonder why the serious collectors do not check it. Why? Because, the serious clock collectors call it a tall case clock. And so the smart auctioneer will make sure his or her listing has it both ways. That ensures that every possible buyer will identify the listing. It also means that accurate cataloging is more critical today than any other time. He or she who invests the time in both consistent wording and accurate descriptions will sell things for the best price. The other key element for the new world of auctions is good photography. I see more complaints about this online than almost any other topic. Ironically, it is the big auctions that seem to not get that we want to see a lot of pictures. The other issue with photography is when auction houses will include five photographs of dovetailing on a piece of furniture but do not show the underside of the case or the feet. Dovetailing is common and obvious, and it can be mentioned and fulfill the need to know, but the bottom of the case is critical for a furniture buyer. What this adds up to is that auctioneers need to be tech and customer service savvy in order to succeed with their sales. Born to collect should be the motto of Peter Seiberts family. Raised in Central Pennsylvania, Seibert has been collecting and writing about antiques for more than three decades. By day, he is a museum director and has worked in Pennsylvania, Wyoming, Virginia and New Mexico. In addition, he advises and consults with auction houses throughout the Mid-Atlantic region, particularly about American furniture and decorative arts. Seiberts writings include books on photography, American fraternal societies and paintings. He and his family are restoring a 1905 arts and crafts house filled with years worth of antique treasures found in shops, co-ops and at auctions.