i first saw this the other day on BoingBoing. it's called Mediachest.com. basically, you set up a profile and join groups and put up a list of books, CDs, DVDs, etc that you'd potentially be willing to let other people borrow, and thereby set up trading networks of friends borrowing from each other. you can keep track of who's got what and there's eBay-style user feedback that lets people know who's a mooch or whatever.
i like the idea, but i'm not sure how much i'm actually going to use it. first of all, borrowing outside of your own geographical area starts to get expensive, i would imagine, with shipping costs and whatnot. there aren't many DVD's i'd be willing to pay for mailing from Intercourse, PA or something when i already have a Netflix account. i'm also not sure how many of my things i'd be willing to loan to complete strangers, feedback or no feedback. if a favorite CD comes back damaged or doesn't come back at all, leaving a note saying "this guy's a poopyhead" is going to be small consolation.
also, maybe it's just me, but the site layout and user interface are kind of driving me crazy.
despite my misgivings, i've opened an account. i've also founded a Barbelith group, if any of y'all would like to join. check it out and see what you think and we can all have coffee and talk. |
