Archive for the 'swapping' Category
One of the questions I am frequently asked involves how we deal with accountability and trust with online swapping. Accountability is important; you want to know that the person you are swapping with will hold up their end of the bargain. From the beginning of time, when the first caveman swapped meat for a club, trust is what makes barter work. So we have a couple of elements we look at to make it all work.
The first is a simple rating system. We could have built one, and did in the early days, but realized that we would then own your reputation, which did not seem fair. We partnered up with Rapleaf so that our users could own their own reputation. Who doesn’t want to work with a company that believes that it is more profitable to be ethical? The rating system is the first barrier to bad actions; when your reputation is portable and goes with you across multiple sites, you tend to make sure that you act with integrity.
In addition, the real key to swapping safely is leveraging implicit and explicit trust. In Freakonomics they talk about a study an economist conducts in Washington D.C. with bagels in break rooms. In small companies, people always pay for the bagels. If they aren’t motivated by ethics to act right, they are motivated by the fear of anyone they know finding out that they took a bagel without paying.
What do bagels have to do with swapping? Think of SwapCircles as the break room in the small company. If you are in a SwapCircle with people you know, of course everyone will behave well and swap fairly. You obviously have an explicit trust relationship with those people and can rely on them to meet their end of the bargain. If you are in a SwapCircle with people that you do not know, but have an association with, then you have implicit trust with them. You don’t know them, but because of other connections, you can rely on them to conduct a fair swap. One example of this is parents at an elementary school. You may not know the other parent, but you know that it is likely that you have acquaintances in common, and therefore you can trust each other. This happens when people invest social capital in an online community or group. You have never met, but you have been posting to the same collect forum for four years. You are invested in that forum and will therefore treat anyone fairly in a swap so that you can continue your online activities there without a damaged reputation.
We obviously believe that people mean well and most people not only act fairly, but will also understate the value of their item so that they are not perceived to be unfair. However, these ideas of rating and reputation, as well as explicit and implicit trust, are an important part of the SwapThing community. If you want to participate, the best way is to start a SwapCircle today. Don’t forget that if you use our affiliate program you can earn money for your group, association or even your child’s school.
We have had an internal debate on SwapThing on the best way to handle the listing of animals. For quite a while we didn’t allow animals because we wanted to make sure that they were protected and safe. However, lots of user mail has changed our minds.
In all fairness, SwapThing was started with a swap involving an animal. If that swap hadn’t happened, I would have had 3 years less with my cat and you wouldn’t be reading this.
People want to engage in all kinds of animal swaps – from purebreds and rescues to household pets and farm animals. Sometimes, it’s a permanent swap people want, and other times it’s temporary, such as stud service. There is also the whole service side of things. Vets have as much right to swap as other service providers, and we would be very happy to have the site overflowing with animals and animal-related services.
We have removed all animal related restrictions. As with all things on the site, there is a link at the bottom if you feel that a particular posting endangers animals. If we have removed your animal-related posting in the past, we encourage you to repost now.
Welcome to all of our four-footed, feathered, scaled, and fluffy friends!
What better a day than Groundhog’s Day to launch some new and exciting functionality!
You asked and we listened. Now adding the things you are seeking is easier than ever. Simply go to your My SwapThing page and click on I’m Seeking under the My Listings section on the right side. You can now add a thing and a string of descriptive tags for what you are seeking, and request a daily digest email alert if you want to be notified when things you are seeking are added to the system. Remember, the more things you add that you are seeking, the easier it is to swap the things you are offering.
Do you have a website, a blog, or a forum site? If so, don’t you think it should be paying you money? We are happy to announce our new SwapAffilates program, a social network that can be implemented on any website, blog, or forum site that enables communications and swapping amongst members of a group. As the website owner you will have multiple revenue earning opportunities while providing a valuable service to your users.
If you have an offline group, the SwapAffiliates program is a great fundraiser. Give your church, school, sports league, business network, or other group a way to swap things in a trusted environment between members, while earning revenue for the group. Get your SwapAffiliates SwapCircle up and running today!
Check out the new tag cloud on your profile and in SwapCircles. The tag cloud provides a quick glance on what you are offering and seeking, as well as the focus of any SwapCircle. Within SwapCircles, the tag clouds are an indicator of the collective offerings of a group. Check it ouy on my Literary SwapCircle or any of the SwapCircles you belong to.
Got any other features you want to see? Let us know or comment here.
SwapCircles have been updated and improved to make them easier to create, join and use. New technology has been added to make it simple to create SwapCircles so you can swap and interact with fellow swappers who have the same interests and/or proximity. Browsing is a breeze and you can effortlessly add unique images to represent your SwapCircle. Make yours today and invite others to join! To simplify the process of adding new items, there is now the option of providing the ISBN (books) or UPC (CD’s, DVD’s, and video games) for your things. When you enter either of these numbers (with no spaces or dashes) on the Add a Thing page, our system will automatically recognize the item and fill the Title and Description fields for you.
- ISBN, or International Standard Book Number, is the 10 or 13 digit number that uniquely identifies information pertaining to a book. The ISBN typically can be located above the bar code on the back cover of the book.
- UPC, or Universal Product Code, is the 12 digit number that uniquely identifies information pertaining to your things, most notably CD’s, DVD’s, and video games. The UPC can be found directly below the bar code.
SwapThing has updated the way we list services with SwapServices. A subscription-based model has been implemented in order to enhance the user experience and create a more powerful way for you to showcase your service. With a service listing you can highlight your business, the location, and your reputation. Skills, like items, are anonymous, whereas SwapService listings serve as an advertisement for your service to swap or sell. For some of our service providers, the SwapServices page becomes their personal webpage, getting them higher results in the search engines for local search.
Local Subscription National Subscription
Monthly $8.00 Monthly $10.00
Quarterly $19.00 Quarterly $28.00
Yearly $70.00 Yearly $100.00
SwapSubscriptions provide a new way to conduct swap transactions. For just $3.00 a month you can have unlimited transactions. If you are doing more than three swaps a month, this is the perfect option for you.
Due to an unforeseen database error, the entries for the Bad Gift Contest were deleted. We were able to retrieve most of these, but if you submitted an entry and do not see it, please repost your story so we can consider you for the prizes. We apologize for the inconvenience and have extended the contest deadline to January 15th.
The winter holiday season is upon us, so that means it’s time for SwapThing’s 2nd Annual Bad Gift Contest. Regardless of what you celebrate this time of year, gifts are given and not all of them are things we necessarily want. We want to hear about the things that make you put on a fake happy face when you open them. Whether the gifts are bizarre, inappropriate, or thoughtless, share your tale so we can all have a good laugh. Here are a few examples of what you told us last year:
- a flat-chested woman received a “boob cooler,” which is intended to keep well-endowed women cool and chaffe-free. - a cash-strapped couple agreed to limit the spending on each others gift. She got him a shirt that matched his eyes, and he got her a doormat and a 12-pack of beer. - a person living in a tiny 600 sq. ft. apartment received a tea set for eight people, though only a fraction of that could fit into the apartment. The best stories will be voted upon with the winners receiving free swaps and SwapThing T-shirts.
And don’t forget the old saying: One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Don’t re-gift or return those unwanted items; list them on SwapThing and see if it tickles the fancy of someone else.
Our new SwapServices was designed to make it easier than ever to swap services on SwapThing. The more service providers that sign up, the easier it is to swap items for services in your area, or services for other services.
Have you had any success swapping services on SwapThing? If so, drop us a line and will republish the best stories here on the blog, and give a t-shirt to the best story we hear. Let us know if you would like to joint press with SwapThing, we are looking for folks willing to talk to the national press outlets to help us share our story and yours – a great opportunity to bring attention to your business.
You may have noticed that the SwapThing site has a new and improved look, but that’s not the only thing that is different. We have incorporated two major changes that we feel will make the SwapThing experience easier and more beneficial for everyone.
Firstly, in order to simplify the process of adding new items, there is now the option of providing the ISBN (books) or UPC (CD’s, DVD’s, video games and more) for your things. When you enter either of these numbers (with no spaces or dashes) on the Add a Thing page, our system will automatically recognize the item and fill the Title and Description fields for you.
Secondly, SwapThing has updated the way we list services. SwapServices, a subscription-based, model has been implemented in order to enhance the user experience and create a more powerful way for you to showcase your service.
Existing service listings need to be labeled as a service or a skill so the new changes can be applied to them.
If you currently have a listing for a service, we would appreciate it if you would take the time to determine which type of listing you need.
– A service is what you do professionally as your job. A SwapService subscription will allow you to advertise your service for swap or sale to SwapThing users. SwapService listings allow you to show all your contact information and include a link to your website.
– A skill is something that you are good at, but do not do professionally.
If you want to swap your skill for another swapper’s service, skill or item, you should select a skill listing. Skill listings are swapped just like items with a charge of just $1.00 per swap.
We hope you enjoy the new changes to the site. As always, we welcome your feedback, feel free to comment here, or use our support form at http://www.swapthing.com/corporate/contactUs.jsp
Happy Swapping!
I love October, and as long as I can remember, Halloween has been one of my favorite holidays. In fact, it was Halloween that first turned me in to a swapper. I was in the first grade when I first got all the neighborhood kids together on November 1st for the big candy swap. We each had an area where we would lay out all of our loot and start swapping. There was no currency; each deal was based on the preferences of the two swappers. So while I might gladly trade away 3 Almond Joy’s for a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup, someone else might only go for a one-for-one trade. I always won when it came to the Special Darks, being the only kid that liked them, and I could easily get rid of my Mounds to get them.
Halloween is a great time for swapping, and as I got older, I became more interested in the pre-Halloween swap. Once my costume had to come out of my allowance, it seemed far better to leverage last year’s outfit for this year’s, conserving my precious cash for those final touches that made the outfit my own. That still applies today, for everything from costumes to decorations. Of course, I don’t get to trick-or-treat anymore, but at least I get to choose the candy!
Have any fun Halloween swapping stories? Anyone who tells us about their holiday swap, and gives their username, will receive a free swap. Our favorite story will get a free SwapThing T-shirt.
Here is one of my all time favorite service swap stories. I thought it was a great time to share it, as we have some big changes coming in how we handle services and make it easier than ever to swap.
A caterer in the Tampa Bay area had a leaky roof that needed to be replaced. As a new business owner, finances were tight and the caterer had to choose between fixing the roof or getting a van that she really needed for the business. She discovered SwapThing and searched for a roofer. A local roofer was offering his services for sale or was willing to swap light construction for a wedding planner. The caterer contacted the roofer and discovered that his daughter was getting married and had not yet found a caterer for the wedding. They quickly hammered out a swap deal. She would use her discounts to purchase food and table arrangements, as well as creating the menu for the 200 expected guests. She would also arrange for servers, but the roofer had to foot the bill for them. In return, the roofer agreed to use his discounts to purchase materials, and install a complete new roof. As an added bonus, the caterer also found someone to swap a year-old van for her old bedroom set, an antique trunk, and $1,500. All parties were happy, saved money and built their business.
Have a favorite swap story? Share it with us here. Happy Swapping!
A lot of swappers send me their stories and I am always happy to hear them and share them. One of my favorites is an email I got from a single mother of a nine-year-old boy in Ohio. The mom works to support her son, but the budget is tight and she has always done the back-to-school shopping at Goodwill. She found SwapThing, and discovered that another mother in her area had done her school shopping in June for her own son, who then had a growth spurt over the summer. The mom was offering several outfits and two pairs of shoes, all new, in exchange for a complete fall cleaning, and some help organizing the house. The two moms worked out a swap involving two weekends of work in exchange for the clothes and shoes. The single mom told me, “For the first time, my son went to school in new clothes, and wasn’t picked on or beat up.”
It’s emails like this that keep us going here at SwapThing. We work hard to build a great community, and while we don’t always get everything right the first time, we listen to feedback and try to adjust to community needs. At the end of the day, knowing that we were able to help two moms, and keep one boy from getting picked on, we know we are doing the right thing!
Have any great swap stories of your own? Post them here, or drop me a line!
