We often hear from members that they don't know what is reasonable to request. Exchanges can run the gamut from very specific tech help to general activities such as a ride somewhere.  

Maybe you have a request for cookies or maybe you have a request for gluten-free, non-dairy, sugar-free cookies. Two very different requests and there are different ways to request them.  

You could request 2 dozen homemade cookies needed by a certain date. If you take this tactic, you may have several people respond. Then you share your specific requirements. You may find some are very comfortable making a recipe you provide or with constraints you desire while others may pass on the request once you share the details. OR, you post a request for a specific kind of cookie you need with the details in the initial request. This might produce fewer responses, but from people who are experienced making those kinds of cookies or are willing to give it a try. Either way it works! They just create different responses. And feel free to have fun with your posting: Cookie Monster goes Vegan. Make me some cookies, please!

Check hourworld periodically to make sure that your Offers and Requests have not expired and are still current and complete:

• You still need the services you have posted as Requests.

• You are still willing to provide the services you have posted as Offers.

• All the Offers and Requests you want listed are showing up as current.

If your need has been met  (someone fixed your loose railing or you got that ride to the airport), please take down your Request. The less “white noise” there is on the site, the more likely it is that members will see and respond to relevant posts. 

However, you may want another Request (such as housecleaning) to stay active because you need that help routinely. For some posts, you may want to select “suspend listing” in the expiration date field. This way no one can see the post, but you can tweak it and repost it later without having to write it anew.

Reviewing and updating your posts periodically helps you and other members too. You don’t want members responding to your Offers for services you no longer want to provide -- or to your Requests for services you no longer need.  

For example, if a fellow Timebank member is coming to your home to fix your porch, be prepared!  Ask the person what parts might be needed. Consider purchasing screws, boards, and balusters in advance. If they are not needed, they can be returned. However, if you need them for the repair visit and don’t have them, time is wasted. Either you have to arrange another visit for after you’ve gotten the parts, or you’re spending extra Timebank hours for the person to go to the store and shop.  A Timebank handy person may have all the skills to fix your toilet, but don't expect him or her to have a truck full of parts, unless plumbing is also his/her “day job.”  

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 and (2) in the areas of language, writing/editing/clerical, tutoring/counseling, tech, or other specialized knowledge areas (by email, phone, or skype).

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 in Auckland NZ?

• Seeking home-made vegan meals in these cities on these dates. (Driving cross-country.)

• 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.

Not all offers or requests are appropriate for Inter-trading at a distance, however. For example, an offer to deliver groceries is not likely to be appreciated by members of a Timebank 3000 miles away. So please consider that when posting.

When you write a robust Bio in your profile -- one that describes your likes, talents, hobbies, and skills –- you increase your chances of people finding you in a search.

Yes, you may have posted a few Offers. And that’s good! But you can also share even more skills with members by including that info in your Bio. When someone uses the search bar at the top of the hOurworld webpage and enters a word like "sew” or “computer” or “garden” --- the search will return matches in both Offers AND Bios. And, your Bio never expires, while Offers and Requests do. So write a detailed Bio. It will increase your opportunity for exchanges!