SwapBot

Maybe I'm late to the party, but I just discovered something new.

What is it?

Here's the website's own description:

Do you like sending and receiving snail mail? Do you like writing letters, making crafts, or putting together fun packages? You should try swapping! Swap-bot is a online service that organizes group swaps and a community of creative individuals. Swap-bot takes the hassle out of participating in group swaps by organizing all of the participant information and doing all of the partner assignments. On Swap-bot, you can host swaps, join swaps, and chat with other swappers from all over the world. Give it a try!

Basically, you join the website, look for a fun swap, and trade with other like-mindedly creative people!

I spent about thirty minutes poking around on the site this morning, and found at least five swaps that I want to join. Lots of the swaps are penpal-esque, as in, postcard swaps, letter swaps, etc., but I found an earring swap that I want to join, and several others! The best part is that it's free, except for the tiny cost of shipping an item to someone else. Swap-Bot is also not confined to the U.S.! I like the idea that I could participate in an earring swap with someone from Europe, or trade recipes with someone in Australia. I also like that you can participate as much or as little as you would like.


Months ago, I discovered a similar site hosted on blogspot called We-Swap. I thought it was cool, and (if you check it out) you'll see that it is, but Swap-Bot's community far surpasses We-Swap. On Swap-Bot, you can participate in group swaps (like the earring swap) or in individual swaps via the forum boards. No matter how you swap, it's almost always a surprise, and it's a way to connect with creative people whom you would never have known!

For example, I signed up for a blogspot swap. Tomorrow the swap closes, and the moderator will join everyone in the swap up with ten other bloggers. The participants' jobs are to read the blogs of those with whom they're been paired and comment on their blogs. I'm excited to read new blogs, probably in categories I wouldn't normally seek out.

Look around on Swap-Bot! I'm curious to hear your thoughts. Does it sound exciting to you? Are you interested in joining any swaps? Will you join any? If you do, tell me which one you joined, and what the results are. I'm so curious to know!


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