Inter-trading and "Thinking Outside the Box"

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Q:  Can I do exchanges with people from other timebanks?  What services can we trade if we don’t live near each other?

A:  Yes! The hOurworld software allows us to do “Inter-trading” (a.k.a. “Global”) exchanges with members of timebanks all over the world!  Inter-trading widens your audience for your local offers and requests. Inter-trading is also a great way to earn hours if your special talents aren't in demand locally – or to receive services that aren’t offered locally. In addition, inter-trading helps you connect with the broader timebanking community; it brings the world a little closer.

Inter-trading is most often used for services (1) fulfilled from afar (by email, phone, zoom, etc.) and (2) in the areas of writing, clerical, classes, tech, or other specialized knowledge areas.  

But with a little creativity, there are untold possibilities!

Examples of “Outside-the-box” Inter-trading Offers and Requests:

∙         Join me for a foraging tour of New England: I’ll show you edible plants you’d normally overlook.  

∙         Would you be our tour guide for our vacation in Auckland NZ this summer?

∙         I'll be driving cross-country, and I'd love to have home-made vegan meals in [these cities] on [these dates]. 

∙         Help with the oil spill cleanup in the Gulf! I can’t get there, myself, but I can give you hours.

∙         Send me a photo of your home. I’ll send you a pen and ink drawing of it.

∙         Is there a book lover near Missoula MT who can visit my grandmother once a week? She likes historical fiction, and she’d love to chat.

If you want to try your hand at Inter-trading but have questions, please reach out to your Member Mentor. We hope you enjoy connecting with the broader timebank community!

Timebanking for a resilient community

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If asked, "What is timebanking?" most timebank members would talk about the service exchanges and mention, for example, the groceries you picked up for a member, the lamp you fixed, or having a member cut your hair or give you a ride to the airport. Of course that is what timebanking is. And it's also so much more.

In the course of doing service exchanges, you meet your neighbors, learn who has what skills or what needs, and even sometimes become friends. But even if you don't develop those deeper relationships, you become more familiar with one another and more accustomed to offering or asking for help. Consider how important that could be in a community crisis situation.

So go ahead and request that veggie casserole even if you don't need it. It serves a larger purpose. Each exchange, no matter what it is -- has a part in strengthening the fabric of our community, making it -- and all of us -- more resilient.

Small is Swell!

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Some timebank exchanges are a big time commitment. Painting a room together, for example, (including prep and cleanup) can take a good part of a day -- or longer. You're happy that another member will spend that time on your livingroom, but other useful exchanges can be much shorter.

Consider a 15- or 30-minute consult! If you have a specific question about weed identification, some quickie emails with one of our experienced gardeners could be just right. Or perhaps you've written a new cover letter, and you want a timebank wordsmith to suggest a better ending.

The hOurworld platform allows us to record exchanges as short as 15 minutes. What small exchanges might you need -- or offer?

How to find a full list of SSTB members' current offers on hOurworld

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Question: I’d like to see the full list of SSTB members’ current Offers on hOurworld. Can I do that without having to click on every category of service on the Offers page? (Some of those categories don’t even have any current offers in them, and it’s too much clicking for my weary fingers.)

Answer: Yes, there’s a low-click, finger-friendly way to see all the specific services our members are offering and requesting now!  

On hOurworld, once you’ve clicked on the Offers tab and selected “Explore All Offers” to get to the main Offers page: Simply click the button on the right, labeled “Browse Offers Directory.” You will get all the current Offers in one list.  

Follow the same procedure to get all the current Requests in one list (“Browse Requests Directory”).

You can scroll through to browse the list – or do a search for names or keywords (using your standard search like CTRL+F, rather than the hOurworld search box). You can even print the list, if necessary, or email it to yourself.  Happy browsing!

How to find a member

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How to find a member

Say you met a member at a social and you learned that she does basic plumbing. You filed her name away in your head. But when your sink starts leaking, you realize that your head-filing system also has a bit of a leak. You go to hOurworld and do a search for “plumbing,” but there are no matching offers or profiles using that word. You know this member is willing to help, so maybe she just didn’t get around to posting her offer. How can you find her again?

You can start with what you do know about her and use hOurworld features to get you the rest of the way. What do you know about her other than her plumbing skills? She said she was new to the area, so she would also be new to the timebank. Click on the “Members” tab for a list of all the SSTB members. The default is that the newest members come first, so maybe you’ll see a name near the top that will jog your memory. But if you realize that it was someone else you talked to who was new to the timebank, it’s back to the drawing board. Luckily, there are other ways to sort the Member List. You have a feeling her name started with a T. Sort alphabetically, and scroll down to the T names. Tallulah! That’s it! But if it weren’t? Well, you remember that she lived practically around the corner from you. Click the “No Limit” drop-down menu on the Member List, and select ½ mile. The list will now only show members who live half a mile away from you, or less. If that doesn’t help you find her, you can scroll through the list to see if she posted a picture. You remember her bright red hair, so you just might find her that way.

Of course, there are also non-hOurworld solutions. You can email your timebank friends to ask, “Who was the person with red hair we talked to at the social?” or “Do you know of a member who does plumbing?” Of course if your leak is not too much of an emergency, you can post a Request and hope she sees it and writes to you!

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Deactivating and Reactivating Your Account

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Q: How can I deactivate my account temporarily?

A: Start by going to the "Account" tab on hOurworld and clicking on "Edit Profile." There, you will see a box that says "Inactive until ______." Fill in the date, and your account will be reactivated on that date without further action.

If you don’t know when you will be able to reactivate, leave the date blank, and click on the "YES" next to the question "Active Member?" This turns the green "YES" to a red "NO." Please remember, you must come back to your profile page to click on the NO in order to turn it back to a YES, indicating that you are an Active Member again. You don't want to remain deactivated without realizing it!

Q: When and why would I deactivate my account?

A: Consider deactivating your account when you will be unavailable to respond, within two days, to other members who write to you through hOurworld. (Maybe you're traveling or you've gotten extra-busy. Or maybe you just need a break from reading and typing.) In most cases, though, you may be able to reply to a member's query, even with a quick note to say you won't be available to do exchanges for a bit. If you won’t be able to reply at all, deactivation is a better choice.

When your account is made inactive, your presence on hOurworld is no longer visible to other members. They will not be able to see your offers, requests, bio, pic, etc. They will not be able to access the link to send you email; therefore, you are relieved of your obligation to respond promptly. (Exception: If other members already have your email address from previous exchanges, they may still write to you directly but not through the hOurworld system.)

Though your deactivated account is invisible to other members, it hasn't disappeared. You can still access it, and you can reactivate it whenever you wish. You will not lose your earned hours. You will not have to repost your photo or rewrite your offers, requests, and bio.

Q: Can I delete my account completely?

A: No. A timebank administrator can -- but only if you have not done exchanges with other members. Deleting your account entirely would remove a record of the hours you've earned and spent, which would create a problem for your exchange partners' accounts. Instead of deletion, an admin would deactivate your account and also remove your name, email address, offers, and all other information connecting that account to you. (The other members whose bikes you fixed will only see you as "Deleted Member" in their accounts.)

Deletion requests most often happen when members move away. If you are planning a move, we recommend that you check to see if there is a timebank near your new home. Your timebank Mentor can help with that, and, in some instances, we may be able to help you get any remaining hours in your account transferred to your new timebank.

Please also reach out to your Mentor for help with de- or re-activation. If you haven't been in touch with your Mentor in more than a year or don't remember who it is, please write to US.

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Do you need help to make the most of the timebank, especially now, when we are trying to connect while also keeping our distance for safety?

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Don't forget that every member has a Member Mentor -- a "point person" from the Membership Team who can help you brainstorm, create opportunities, problem-solve, etc.

Your mentor can talk with you about possible Offers and Requests that may be done virtually, outdoors with safe social distancing, through inter-trading, or asynchronously. (Asynchronous exchanges don't require real-time contact. Examples: Editing a document, mending a sweater, or taking care of a member's garden when she is away). Your mentor can also answer your hOurworld questions -- or find someone who can.

Some of the mentors from early on in our timebank have moved on from the Membership Team, and others have joined the team. If your original mentor is not still available, we can reassign you to a current mentor. Contact Us (silverspringtimebank@gmail.com) to get the name and email address of your mentor.

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How can I use my timebank hours to further causes I believe in?

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Whether your cause is protecting the Chesapeake Bay, fighting discrimination, getting out the vote, or anything else important to you, you can post a request for help on hOurworld and use your timebank hours to compensate members who respond. [Here are some examples to stimulate thinking. But please note that many of them are not appropriate or safe for this moment in time which requires distancing, avoiding crowds, etc. due to Covid-19.]

You can get help with tasks that require skills or knowledge you don’t have.

  • A member can create a rousing call-and-response chant to excite a crowd -- or pen a template for a letter to the editor that you can adapt as needed.

  • Someone can show you how to request a permit for a rally -- or just do it for you because you’re busy lining up speakers.

  • You can get help with planning or brainstorming – the kind of thing where two heads are much better than one.

  • A member can do research into the history of a problem or the science or economic effects or any other research relating to your cause.

  • Maybe you can get legal advice (or even someone to bail you out of jail if it comes to that).

You can amplify your efforts by recruiting other members to do what you’re doing.

  • They can get signatures on a petition: You cover one side of the plaza, they cover the other side.

  • Sometimes you have all the skills; you just need more bodies or more voices – or more cars to shuttle people to the polls, more people to make calls.

A little help with small tasks may do wonders for your stress level. Why not ask?

  • You want a ride to your gathering downtown since it’s hard to juggle all your gear on the metro.

  • Let someone else look up directions to an event and any special instructions or restrictions.

  • Save time by having someone else pack you a lunch, fill your water bottles, put hand sanitizer or sunblock in travel size bottles, or go get that megaphone from the guy across town.

You can offer to help other members with their causes, too! (And earn hours for it.)

  • Use your artistic skills to create spiffy signs for members attending a rally.

  • Offer to put out announcements and track RSVPs.

  • And don’t forget, with the Inter-trade feature on hOurworld, you can offer lodging, meals, or logistical help to out-of-town timebankers coming to D.C. for the next big march.

Another benefit of recruiting help through the timebank?

  • You’re inviting people to get involved in something they may not otherwise have chosen to do. But once they get a taste of being part of a movement, they may be inspired to take more action on other causes they believe in.

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I hear that bartering is taxable by the IRS. Do I need to report my timebank exchanges?  

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Timebank exchanges are not bartering so they are not taxable. Here’s why: Bartering is a way of exchanging goods and services based on their market value: Ned is a hairstylist who charges $75 for a haircut and color, which usually takes about an hour. He offers that service to Sylvia in exchange for yardwork. If Sylvia did yardwork for pay, she could earn $25/hour. Therefore, she will do three hours of yardwork for Ned in order to “pay” for her one-hour haircut. Both Ned and Sylvia have earned $75 in this exchange though they have accepted an alternative form of payment. The IRS expects them to pay taxes on their earnings, no matter what the form of payment.

Timebanking, on the other hand, is a way of exchanging services based on the time it takes to perform those services. An hour of sewing is worth an hour of accounting, no more, no less. An hour of your time is worth an hour of my time, no matter what the service, no matter what our backgrounds. When all hours are equal, there is no market value and no tax. What’s more, valuing our time equally can lead to valuing each other equally!

Money need not be attached to time – though some (not all) timebanks do use the language of money: You “earn” a one-hour credit – or a Time Dollar – and it sits in your Time “Bank Account” until you “spend” it. Using the familiar language of money is a way to help people understand how timebanking works if they are not familiar with it. But no, time is not money. And timebank exchanges are not just about services like haircuts and yardwork or any other of the infinite possibilities. Some would even say that timebank services (though certainly valuable) are not even the reason many of us join – or stay – in a timebank. The greatest benefit may be membership in a community of “support, strength, and trust.” So how can time exchanges be subject to income tax when the “income” is connection?

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Matches and Members buttons - give them a click!

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It's easy to overlook some helpful hOurworld shortcuts. Here's one:

The Matches button: It's that hand-shake icon at the bottom of many posts you find through the Offers or Requests tabs.

If you see an Offer and click on Matches, you will see all Request posts under the same service category and sub-category. (And vice versa for matches for Request posts.) Example: You see a request for a dog-walker, and the request has a Matches button. You click on that to see the current dog-walking offers in our timebank.

The Matches button is a bit of a shortcut, bringing you straight to a list specific to the sub-category you want. This may be especially useful in categories with many sub-categories, such as the Garden/Yard category which has 22 sub-category options, as different from one another as Flower Arranging and Worm Composting.

A few caveats:

- When you find a post through the Offers tab or Requests tab, you may see the Matches handshake icon. However, when you see that same post through the New Offers and Requests on the homepage, you may see a Members button instead. This serves the same purpose as the Matches button!

- These buttons don't appear on your own posts on your member page, so don't assume you have no matches if you don't see the buttons.

- Also, some good matches may not show up if posted under a similar but different sub-category.

The bottom line: There are lots of ways to find what you want on hOurworld. But if you see the Matches or Members buttons, give them a click! You may find just what you're looking for, in a flash!

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I see the ‘Groups’ tab in the gray menu bar on hOurworld. What are Groups?

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The hOurworld software offers members the chance to create Groups within the Timebank. The “Groups” feature is a great way for members to self-organize and connect with others who have similar interests or who live in the same neighborhood.  A group may be formed for film discussion and going to movies together, for dog-lovers who want to trade advice or make playdates, for budding entrepreneurs who want to support one another, or for members of a particular housing complex who want to get together or just borrow a cup of sugar.  There are so many possibilities. 

One of the greatest benefits of groups within the Timebank is that they offer their members extra opportunities to meet one another and perhaps set up Timebank exchanges.  For example, a Childcare Group get-together is a way to begin to get to know other people interested in trading babysitting. 

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What else do I need to know about Groups?

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  • Any Timebank member may create a new group. Please check to see if the group you want to create or something similar already exists.

  • You are welcome to join existing groups. No invitation is needed; however, please respect any established parameters (eg., a group for people who live in Silver Spring Towers or a group for IT professionals).

  • Any Timebank member may view who is in existing groups by clicking on the underlined number to the right of the group name. (That number shows how many people have joined the group.)

  • Group members can post about upcoming group events, related magazine articles, ideas of interest to that group, etc.

  • When a group member posts an announcement, it is sent, in real time, to the email addresses of all other members of that group. So please keep in mind that group members may have different preferences for how much email traffic they receive.

  • In general, no Timebank hours are awarded for creating groups or planning/participating in the group’s activities. There may be occasional exceptions, and it’s fine to ask.

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Can I keep a running list of people who can provide help with a service I need pretty often? 

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Absolutely.  Suppose what you need is rides around town. Sometimes you find that many people have active Offers for rides. Other times, it’s hard to find these Offers; perhaps they’ve expired. You can post your own Request for a ride, but you may not get responses in time to get you to that doctor’s appointment you just scheduled. 

One thing you can do is ask anyone already giving you a ride if you can call on them again for this. But you can also post a Request for rides without specifying a specific place or a specific date. Just be clear that you’re asking to call or write to them periodically in the future. When people respond, ask them how best to reach them and what their likely availability is. So next time you have to schedule a doctor’s appointment, you can start by calling someone who is often available to give a ride at the time you need. 

Suppose the service you need is hanging flyers for your garden club’s events. You may need several people at once, several times a year. If you’ve compiled a list of people who say they’re willing to hang flyers, you can bypass hOurworld and email them all at the same time. (Just make sure you BCC or blind carbon copy the group so their privacy is protected.)  

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Have you heard about the SSTB Community Time Chest?

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SSTB members who have a sudden and/or temporary need for extensive help, such as after an accident or surgery can turn to the Silver Spring Timebank for support. The Community Time Chest (CTC) provides support for up to two weeks with such things as very light housekeeping, errands and rides to appointments, giving the recipient time to organize friends, family, or professional services for further care needed. Members in need can contact the Community Time Chest coordinator with their needs, and the coordinator will find SSTB member helpers.

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I just joined the Timebank and received my first monthly newsletter. It really gave me a feel for what it is like to be in the Timebank. Can I read past newsletters, too?

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Sure!

1.      Go to the Silver Spring Timebank website.

2.      Click on the News and Events tab at the top of the page.

3.      Then click on Email News.

4.      You can View Past Emails (on the left side of the page) . The newsletters are organized chronologically. 

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What are the best ways to initiate a Timebank exchange?

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There are lots of ways to find what you need in the Timebank. If you need a service, you can search the OFFERS on hourworld. If no one is offering that service, that doesn’t mean there isn’t anyone who can do it.

Try posting it as a REQUEST. Another member may be able to teach your child to play the ukulele but never thought to offer that service until she saw your request.

You can also do a general search using the SEARCH box at the top of the hourworld page. This search would show a member who mentioned playing the ukulele in her bio even if she hasn’t listed that as an offer. You can then inquire whether the member might be willing to give uke lessons.  

You can also ATTEND Timebank events and ask around. Many service “matches” are made at our socials and potlucks. 

Finally, if you do go outside the Timebank to find a uke teacher, mention the benefits of being a Timebank member!

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What's the protocol for replying to a member request?

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Please reply within 48 hours to all responses to your posted offers and requests. You don’t have to agree to every exchange. It’s fine to say, “I’m really busy right now, sorry!” But it’s important to reply quickly. If you can’t do the exchange, the other member knows she can move on and contact someone else. 

If you are going away or won’t be available for a while, you can mark yourself “Inactive until [insert date]” on your profile page. That way you won’t get responses you’re not able to reply to.

Also be aware that your bio page notes how often you’ve responded when emailed. If your track record is 3 times out of 10, some members may not reach out to you. So do reply quickly, whether to say yes or no.  

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Are there other ways to exchange along with the one-to-one exchange?

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Exchanges between individual members are the “main event” of the Timebank, but there are also other ways to do Timebank exchanges. You can give a class that multiple members attend. (We can walk you through how to do this.) You can accept Timebank hours for a workshop that you are already giving in the community. You can also do work for the Timebank itself in exchange for hours – keep an eye on the Monday email and the monthly newsletter for opportunities to help at our events or do outreach. But don’t forget, it’s those member-to-member exchanges that keep us connected and build our Timebank community.

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I'm struggling to think of skills I have to share! How else might I get involved in Timebank exchanges?

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Consider using your assets to help another member. No, we don’t mean your 401k! Your home, your car, your tools, etc. can come in handy for another Timebank member who doesn’t have them. Someone may need to pick up a dresser found on craigslist, and you and your truck can help with that. Someone may need to fax some legal documents and not want to use the fax machine at the copy shop. Yours is more private, and there’s no waiting in line. A couple may want to host an anniversary party, but their “cozy” apartment just won’t do. Your living room or your yard may be the perfect place to celebrate.

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Attending Timebank events is certainly fun, but it serves other purposes, too:

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The timebank has lots of great events: quarterly socials and community swaps and an annual skill-share and repair cafe.  We do occasional fundraisers to pay for our website and other expenses.  We have also done some “service socials,” where members sign up to help a community organization. 

*It's a great way to get to know other members and arrange exchanges. (Talking with someone at a Timebank social event may help you feel more comfortable inviting that person to care for your home or your cat when you go away.)

*When chatting with other members, you may get new ideas for services you would offer or request.  

*By taking part in our swaps and repair cafes, you support other community members and the environment.

*You can earn hours by working shifts at certain events.

*The more connected we are to one another as individuals, the stronger our community network.

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