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NeighborGoods Featured on NBC Nightly News

2012-01-16T02:45:10-05:00

Howdy Neighbors,

We hope your year has been off to a great start! There have been exciting things happening here at NeighborGoods and 2012 is already keeping us very busy. We are thrilled to share with you that NeighborGoods was featured Sunday evening on the NBC Nightly News! Its a great little segment featuring an interview with Micki and a couple of our amazing LA neighbors Cris and Jory.

As Collaborative Consumption gets more attention from major media outlets like NBC its means great things for NeighborGoods, and other sites who were also mentioned in the segment like Spinlister and TaskRabbit. It also is a great thing for you, the users, because it means there are going to be more people to share with and when you invite your real life neighbors to join your NeighborGoods group, they'll already know what you're talking about!

NeighborGoods Wants to help the Mount Rainier Community Tool Shed be the Next Big Thing

2011-12-07T09:33:49-05:00

The new issue of GOOD Magazine is titled The Next Big Thing. In this issue, the GOOD 100 list highlights 100 innovations and cultural moments that signal the emerging future. So what is the next big thing? Sharing, of course! NeighborGoods is on the GOOD 100 list - "NeighborGoods is the new Home Depot: your neighbor has a power sander. Now there's an easier way to borrow it."

To mark the launch of the new issue of the magazine, GOOD has also announced the GOOD 100 Challenge: Sharing in the new Owning. They are offering $1000 to the best idea that helps people share resources. We wanted to take this opportunity to help out one of our sharing groups who is in need of some support.

We have been working closely with the Mount Rainier Community Tool Shed in Mount Rainier, MD, to help residents better connect with the tool shed and the resources it has to offer. By using NeighborGoods to power sharing, residents can browse the tool shed's inventory and make reservations online, as well as track how much money they've saved by borrowing tools instead of buying them new. The tool shed has a collection of hand and power tools that residents, businesses and community groups can borrow for free and NeighborGoods wants to add to its library!

The tool shed was initially funded by a grant through the Prince George's County Livable Communities Initiative, which allowed them to purchase many of the tools that are available today. It is now run by a small group of volunteers and operates on a shoestring budget. The tool shed provides a wonderful service to the community in Mount Rainier. Like NeighborGoods, the tool shed aims to help their neighbors live more sustainably, save money, and strengthen their community, and together we have created a short list of items they need to help accomplish these three things.

1. Electric lawn mower
Currently the tool shed owns only one working lawn mower, but this is a highly requested item and they really need another. Rather than paying to fix the two broken gas mowers they already own, we would like to purchase one new electric mower that will cost less over time on repairs and reduce emissions, as compared to the old gas guzzlers.

2. Drain snake
Most people do not own a drain snake, so even a simple blockage requires calling out a professional. By purchasing a drain snake we plan to save residents a substantial amount of money by helping them to avoid the high cost of unnecessary plumbing bills.

3. Gardening and work gloves
Finally, we would like purchase 30 pairs of gardening and work gloves. The tool shed organizes and participates in numerous cleanups, gardening projects and workshops throughout the year. They already provide most of the tools needed for these projects, but have a serious shortage of good quality gloves to make sure their neighbors are protected while they are working to make their community better and more beautiful.

We need your help! In order to make this all happen we have to get the most votes in the GOOD 100 Challenge. Head over to our project page and support NeighborGoods and the Mount Rainier Community Tool Shed by voting for our idea. Voting takes just a few clicks only lasts until December 15th so don't wait, go vote now! Thanks neighbors!

Emergency Preparation NeighborGoods Style

2011-12-02T06:20:34-05:00

Howdy Neighbors!

We know that many of you live in Southern California and we hope that you all made it through the last couple days safely. For those of you that live out of the area, or haven't caught wind (no pun intended) of what's been happening, LA County was hit hard by heavy winds Wednesday night and has declared a state of emergency. Almost 40,000 homes and businesses have been left without power and severe damage has been done to private residences and city infrastructure.

Although Southern California is not experiencing devastation as severe as that caused by Hurricane Katrina or the Joplin Tornado, it certainly has many people thinking about how they can be better prepared for an emergency. The first thing that comes to mind when trying to get prepared for an emergency is to head out to the store to buy supplies and stock pile food and water. While these things are important, many people don't realize that your most valuable asset after a disaster is next door, across the street and even down the block...your neighbors.

Often times when we talk about NeighborsGoods we touch on the financial and environmental benefits, but we also try to show the importance of building relationships and stronger bonds within neighborhoods and organizations. If you follow along with NeighborGoods news or Micki's presentations you may be familiar with the term social capital. Similar to financial capital, social capital refers to the social networks and resources that we have available to draw from.

The Journal of Homeland Security released a report last year highlighting the important role that social capital plays during the recovery process stating:

"Recovery from natural and other disasters does not depend on the overall amount of aid received or on the amount of damage done by the disaster; instead, social capital—the bonds that tie citizens together functions as the main engine of long-term recovery."

Unlike the ability to drive to Target and pick up water and flashlights, building trust and relationships in your community takes time, so don't put it off! Whether its through getting your neighborhood using NeighborGoods, getting involved in your neighborhood council or just making an effort to walk next door and say hi more often, a little bit of effort can help make you and your family a lot safer and better prepared for the future.

Helping Neighbors Reach New Heights

2011-11-15T03:22:46-05:00

Today we want to share with you, something a little different. We would like to shed some light on something very near and dear to our hearts. This thing is very special around the neighborhood. In some ways it has helped to make NeighborGoods possible and it is something that a great many neighbors have in common. We know you've used it at least once, and everytime you got pretty high.

Today, we would like the honor the ladder.

The ladder is the most added item on NeighborGoods. There are almost eight times more ladders than lawn mowers, and two times more ladders than power drills. In fact, there are 787 ladders, but we'll round down to 780 to account for the test transaction ladder and a couple non-ladder items that snuck into the search, just to keep us honest.

The average number of rungs on a ladder is 7, and the average distance between rungs is 11 inches, making the average height just over 6 feet. If you were to take the 780 ladders on NeighborGoods and lay them out they would be almost one mile long!

The average cost to purchase a ladder is about $100. Using this figure means that ladders make up about $78,000 worth of inventory on NeighborGoods. And if the test ladder was a real item it would had been borrowed 574 times and would have saved neighbors $57,400 dollars!

Happy Tuesday neighbors!

NeighborGoods Named a WWF 'Green Game-Changer'

2011-11-03T07:53:47-04:00

This year the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the world's leading conservation organization, turns 50! WWF is celebrating their 50th anniversary by looking to the future of wildlife and the planet, and shining some light on the lasting, positive impacts of businesses that are innovating towards long term sustainability.

WWF has just released their report 'Green game-changers', which includes a selection of companies and entrepreneurs from around the globe who are addressing the environmental challenges of our time and can provide valuable lessons to businesses everywhere . The report has separated the businesses into four main areas : dematerialization, restorative, open loop and renewable energy/low carbon.

Dematerialization is all about products, services and processes that cut down the use of natural resources and produce less waste in economies around the world. NeighborGoods is incredibly excited and honored to have been included in the dematerialization portion of the WWF report as a leading peer-to-peer lending site! Also mentioned alongside us was Ecomodo, Freecycle and Zilok. Among the other dematerialization companies profiled is In.gredients, a zero-packaging and waste store in Austin, TX, and Ecovative, a design company that uses agricultural waste and fungi to make building insulation.

You can read more about NeighborGoods (page 16) and all 50 game-changing innovations by checking out the full report on the WWF website!

Happy Good Neighbor Day from NeighborGoods

2011-09-28T06:50:32-04:00

As you may or may not know, today is National Good Neighbor Day! Today is the perfect opportunity to do something nice for a neighbor, to thank a good neighbor you know, say hi to a neighbor you haven't met yet, or take a neighbor out for a drink (and celebrate National Drink Beer Day too!)

Good Neighbor Day began in 1971 when Becky Mattson, of Lakeside, MT, wrote a letter to her senator calling for recognition of the importance that communication and relationships play in developing strong communities. Ms. Mattson's letter was received with enthusiasm and so began a tradition that has since been acknowledged by mayors, governors and senators throughout the country and has been supported by three presidential proclamations. In 1978, President Jimmy Carter issued Proclamation 4601 in support of Good Neighbor Day and his words still ring true, 33 years later:

"As our Nation struggles to build friendship among the peoples of this world, we are mindful that the noblest human concern is concern for others.

Understanding, love, and respect build cohesive families and communities. The same bonds cement our Nation, and the nations of the world.

For most of us, this sense of community is nurtured and expressed in our neighborhoods where we give each other an opportunity to share and feel part of a larger family."

In observance of today, we want to say a big thank you to all of the great neighbors that make NeighborGoods possible, we are so grateful you are part of our community! If you want to celebrate Good Neighbor Day the NeighborGoods way, here are a few ideas of things you can do:

-Check a wishlist near you and see if there is anything you can add

-Send a message and introduce yourself to someone near you

-Invite five neighbors to NeighborGoods

-Start a group for your neighborhood or apartment building **As part of Good Neighbor Day, any group started between now and Friday will be free for three months, and we'll send you a Good Neighbor kit to help get your group started!**

From all of us at NeighborGoods, we hope you have a great, neighborly day!

Featured Group: El Dorado Lofts

2011-09-22T05:30:40-04:00

Today we are giving a shout-out to an awesome local neighbor and her new group! Courtney joined NeighborGoods a few weeks ago through a friend and really hit the ground running. She lives in the El Dorado, a historic loft building in Downtown LA, and has been working hard to get a sharing group going for her and her neighbors. Courtney has been busy inviting her neighbors, posting in the Google group they have for the building and handing out flyers.

In less than two weeks they already have 10 neighbors sharing over $1500 worth of stuff! Josh is sharing some Polaroid cameras and 30 wine glasses you can borrow for your next party. (We don't know why any one person owns 30 wine glasses, but we like it!) Courtney is still adding stuff to her inventory, but if you need a blender or the Lord of the Rings Trilogy Director's Cut, she's got you covered.

Thanks Courtney and all the neighbors at El Dorado, we're excited to have you in the neighborhood!

If you're interested in creating a group for your apartment building or neighborhood let us know and we'll help you get it started! Happy sharing!

Borrowing So You Know What Not to Buy

2011-09-13T03:23:36-04:00

A popular tagline around NeighborGoods is "why buy when you can borrow?" and we really believe it! A recent borrow that happened here in LA is the perfect example of how you can save money on stuff you need, but more importantly on stuff that wouldn't have worked out and would have been a total waste of money (in this case $85).

Tanya was having some problems with her dog's barking and she decided she wanted to try out a no-bark collar. If you do a little bit of research, a decent collar can run anywhere from $60 to $100 or more, and they have mixed reviews; some people swear by them, others report that the collar failed miserably. So Tanya turned to NeighborGoods and found that Cyndi lived near by, had one in her inventory and wrote in the description that the collar worked great for her dog!

Well, it turns out Tanya's dog didn't care or mind the collar at all, and it fell into the failed miserably category for her. Even though the collar didn't work out though, we're happy that NeighborGoods and Cyndi could help her try it before she bought it, and now the money she saved can go towards trying something that will hopefully work better!

Thanks Cyndi for being a great neighbor, and from one barking dog owner to another, good luck Tanya!

Harvesting Your Crops with Borrowed Goods

2011-08-15T03:20:24-04:00

For all you gardening, green-thumbed neighbors, your crops should be in full bloom by now. And there are a number of tools on NeighborGoods that could help you harvest and you won't have to store them the rest of the year! Lots of neighbors have added their fruit pickers and their might be one in your neighborhood. There might even be a neighbor to help you do the picking! ;)

Also, if you're like most people, you have more crop than you can eat. There are plenty of neighbors who have added canners to their inventory. If you've never canned before its a great chance to try something new, without having to buy all the supplies upfront, and enjoy the fruits of your labor all year long! There's also juicers and dehydrators with your name on them!

How to Keep Sharing Safe

2011-08-03T07:45:48-04:00

The entire Collaborative Consumption community watches with bated breath this week as the hero of our burgeoning industry, AirBnB struggles to manage a customer support nightmare that has spiraled out of control under massive public scrutiny. The story began when EJ, an airBnB host, blogged about having her apartment trashed and her life torn apart by a traveler who stayed in her home after booking via the home-sharing site, AirBnB. Her story was picked up by Techcrunch, other industry blogs and the mainstream media as an example of what can happen when sharing goes wrong. AirBnB has suffered much criticism for their slow response time, their apparent unwillingness to help the victim, and their complete unpreparedness to handle such a complaint. As I'm not privy to the inner workings of the AirBnB board room, I can't comment on any of that. I do know that by the time the truth finds its way to the public, it has often been wrung through the cogs of many machines each with its own agenda, and can often be rendered unrecognizable. This is a complicated issue to resolve and I do not envy AirBnB's burden to do it so publicly. Still, it is EJ to whom my heart goes out. She has suffered a real violation and continues to suffer as her character and even her existence are called into question by an audience eager for drama and intrigue. As EJ's story unfolds and AirBnB struggles to resolve the issues in their platform revealed by her tragic experience, it is time to ask the question: How can other sharing platforms learn from this example of what can happen when a transaction goes wrong? How can we learn from this incident and apply that knowledge to better protect the members of our own communities? At NeighborGoods, building a safe and fun community for sharing is our number one priority. Our members are sharing over $3.5 million worth of their personal goods and we've facilitated thousands of transactions with no serious complaints or reports of theft or damage. That said, this week's events are proving the necessity for all sharing platforms to have a security system in place to protect their members. We've designed our entire system with the goal of building trust. Still, we have more to do. NeighborGoods connects people to share goods like tools, video games and sporting equipment. The majority of our members choose to share their items for free to help out their friends and neighbors rather than rent their items to strangers. The social tools we provide greatly lower the risk involved in sharing on NeighborGoods. Members can decide who has access to each of their items. For instance, my vacuum cleaner is available to anyone (upon approval of course) while my car is only available to my friends. When any member requests to borrow an item, he must share his phone number with the owner and we never restrict what information can be shared via our private messaging system. We want to give our members all the tools necessary to feel safe sharing with folks they may not know. We also have an optional verification system and transaction-based peer ratings to help members build a reputation of trust in the network. In addition, members can request security deposits for extra protection. As with any peer to peer marketplace, it's impossible to remove risk completely. It's our job as sharing platforms to make sure our members are aware of the risks and have the information needed in order to manage the risk effectively. AirBnB's new Safety Tips page provides clear steps for members to mitigate the risk of using the platform. We plan to follow suit with our own list of tips. As part of their response to recent events, AirBnB has also announced a new $50,000 guarantee to cover any loss or damage suffered by their hosts. AirBnB's guarantee program launches on August 15 and I'm eager to see how it will address the potential for fraud and other legal complications raised by insurance. We've been considering offering similar protections (though on a much smaller scale) for premium NeighborGoods members. What do you think about how AirBnB is handling this incident? What can we do at NeighborGoods to make you feel safer sharing your belongings with your neighbors? What are some effective ways other sharing platforms are helping their members mitigate risk? We want to hear from you!

NeighborGoods Featured on CBS News' What's Trending

2011-07-13T01:47:37-04:00

This week NeighborGoods has been featured on CBS News' What's Trending live show. What's Trending reports on what's hot and happening in the digital world and we are excited for the opportunity to share NeighborGoods with CBS's viewers! You can read the article and watch the video interviews with Micki and Jory, a familiar face to many LA NeighborGoods users, by clicking below.

Fast Company Collaborative Consumption Infographic

2011-07-07T10:39:17-04:00

We're featured in this awesome infographic from Fast Company called The Collaborative Home. The infographic outlines all the startups helping you make use of underused resources - from power drills to your driveway to your time. While the article focuses on the opportunity to make cash with your stuff, the editor Morgan Clendaniel is sure to point out the bigger picture:

What's truly important about collaborative consumption is much more world-altering than just supplementing people's incomes. We own far too much stuff, a symptom of our aggressive consumer culture. If you don't need to buy a circular saw or a leaf blower just to use them once a year, but can use one when you need it, it could fundamentally impact how we consume. So, while making money on your unused stuff sounds great, imagine not having to buy the stuff in the first place.

Thanks to Fast Company and to Collaborative Fund for including us!

A Big Neighborly Welcome to This Week's Featured Group: MetaFilter

2011-06-30T06:13:08-04:00

MetaFilter is most certainly not a new kid on the block, but they just started moving into our neighborhood this week. Matt Haughey, creator of MetaFilter, started a MeFi group and in just two days 83 members have joined and are sharing a whopping $59,000 in inventory! If you're a fan of MetaFilter be sure to join the group and start building your own inventory!

This group is definitely different from many of the groups we feature here on NeighborGoods, in that members of MetaFilter's community are located all over the world. To make sure NeighborGoods groups that are not location specific are still useful to their members, inventory items can be sorted by distance from you. MetaFilter is an online community, but a NeighborGoods group is an awesome way for members of companies that have multiple locations or organizations that have multiple chapters to connect with one another!

If you're interested in starting a group for your organization it only takes a minute, and we're here to help if you have any questions!

Featured Neighbor and Group: John and FBC Frisco

2011-06-21T12:42:46-04:00

This week we are featuring John and his shiny new group. John is a business consultant from Frisco, TX and is trying to do something great things in his community with the help of NeighborGoods! His inventory is full of super useful things for around the house including one of those pop-up, E-Z-Up, whatever you want to call it (in this case, it's a wall gazebo) things and a pressure washer, two of the most wishlist requested items on NeighborGoods. He also has a bread maker, a full set of golf clubs, and not just one, but two ladders!

John contacted us shortly after he joined NeighborGoods for ideas on how to get his community involved on the site. We've been working closely together and he now has a pilot group up and running at his church. He writes, "the mission of this group is to foster community between FBC Frisco members in a relevant and practical way." So far he has six other families committed to the pilot run and we are super excited to see how it goes!

If there is an awesome neighbor in your community we should know about or if you're interested in getting your own group started, let us know!

NeighborGoods chosen to present at Dwell on Design

2011-06-16T10:55:23-04:00

Our friends at Architecture for Humanity are hosting an Open Mic session at Dwell on Design in Los Angeles next week. AFH put out the call to find 7 innovators and designers to give quick 7 minute presentations on the topic of regeneration.

The tsunami in Japan and the quake in Haiti have us all thinking about how we can best use architecture and design to heal the wounds of natural disasters. That's the theme we'll take up in this Pecha Kucha-style hour of design thinking, one that provides seven provocative takes on what design can do to better the world. We're on the hunt for designers of all stripes and statuses to share their visions of how design can reshape, reform and regenerate places and communities when disaster strikes.

We answered the call and have been chosen as one of the 7 presenters! Please join me at Dwell's Design conference and expo June 24 - 26 at the LA Convention Center. The Architecture for Humanity Open Mic event is on Saturday at 4pm on the Design Innovation Stage. Sharing to Regenerate Local Community: How can sharing a power drill with your neighbor prepare you for a natural disaster? NeighborGoods is the leading online community for local resource sharing. By designing a community of trust, NeighborGoods provides a platform for building real connections in local neighborhoods. A connected neighborhood is a prepared neighborhood.

Neighborly Love

2011-06-15T11:13:59-04:00

Sharing on NeighborGoods saves money, save resources, and helps build community, we talk about these benefits all the time. But lets be honest for a minute, helping out your neighbors down right feels nice! It feels good to know that lending out something that just sits around your house collecting dust helped someone. And there's a reason that 98% of transactions on NeighborGoods have the highest 3-star rating, because your neighbors really appreciate your help!

We see the ratings, the thank yous and the nice things people have to say about their neighbors, but in the last couple weeks we've been hearing about some creative ways that neighbors have shown their appreciation. Vanessa lent out her Sony MiniDV Handycam to Paolita. After it was returned Vanessa shared that her camcorder came back with a jar of apple butter! Yum!

Cyndeals recently moved to LA and she wanted to make some stationary to write back home, so she borrowed Jory's handy-dandy paper cutter. When she returned the paper cutter, it came back with a hand crafted thank you note. Adorable? We think so!

If you have any stories about extra special thank yous you've received from your neighors let us know! We love to hear about it and then brag about how awesome, thoughtful and creative NeighborGoods neighbors are!

Save Money on Summer Projects By Borrowing Tools on NeighborGoods

2011-06-06T02:19:02-04:00

The weather is warming up and we are just about ready to start summer. Besides trips to the beach and BBQs, summer also means summer projects around the house. Personally, I'm still in the planning stages, trying to decide what I'm going to tackle first and what supplies I'll be able to borrow on NeighborGoods, but a few neighbors are already busy saving money and getting stuff done!

Pvarando needed to paint some high walls and MVE15 came to his rescue with her 15 foot ladder system. He ended up saving $150 by borrowing her ladder, which equals a lot of paint!

Roxydoxy just borrowed a circular saw for the second time from Benjamin (who has saved his neighbors a whopping $10,600 just since we featured him in February!) Mike is lending out his power drill and wildqtcupl just borrowed a power roto-tiller to start a garden.

You can always use NeighborGoods in a pinch, but its usually a good idea to plan ahead and give yourself at least a couple days when you need to borrow something. This gives the lender some time to respond and allows for time to coordinate a pick-up time that works for both of you! And don't forget you can always add what you need to your wishlist if you can't find it!

NeighborGoods 2.0 launches with improved groups and location technology

2011-06-01T08:58:32-04:00

Today is the day, folks! Thanks to the generous support we received through our Kickstarter project, we proudly announce the launch of NeighborGoods 2.0! We've been rolling out this update over recent weeks and this morning we put the final touches on the new groups and location technology - officially bringing us to NeighborGoods 2.0.

NeighborGoods 2.0 is all about groups. Our members were asking for the ability to share privately and now you can do that! You can create your own group where you can share privately and post messages for your neighbors. Your entire group can save thousands of dollars for as little as $6/month.

Our new groups technology is also a great resource for larger organizations. We're working directly with apartment complexes, homeowners' associations, corporations and cities to create sponsored groups as a benefit for their members. Contact us to learn more about our enterprise edition.

We've also updated our location technology, making it easier to customize your location and to find stuff near you. We've added neighborhood information from Zillow.com for our 3 most active cities: Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York. Check it out and join your neighborhood group today! We've replaced the use of US zip codes with pure geocoding which means folks in other countries (You hear us, Canada?!) can now create sharing groups.

Whew that's a lot! We've improved lots of other things with this release and we hope you'll like it. We need your feedback to keep improving. We are constantly working to make the service better for our community. So let us know what you think.

Happy sharing!

NeighborGoods Named One of Entrepreneur Magazine's 100 Brilliant Companies

2011-05-31T02:58:43-04:00

Every year Entrepreneur Magazine compiles their list of 100 Brilliant Companies, "who have coupled genius and execution to fantastic ends." The 100 companies are broken down into 10 areas from mobile tech and social shopping, to health and value. The list is known for recognizing some of the best and brightest in some of the hottest industries, with companies like Foursquare and Groupon having been included in past years.

NeighborGoods is thrilled and honored to be named one of Entrepreneur's 100 Brilliant Companies for 2011. We have been included in the value category, alongside two other great Collaborative Consumption companies RelayRides and Swap.com.

A huge thank you to Entrepreneur Magazine for including NeighborGoods and congratulations to the other companies that made the list!

NeighborGoods Presenting at 8th Annual Craigslist Boot Camp

2011-05-31T10:48:17-04:00

This Thursday NeighborGoods is heading to San Francisco for the 8th Annual Craigslist Boot Camp. Boot Camp is happening at the UCSF Mission Bay Conference Center, June 2 from 8am-5:30pm. The event is put on by the Craigslist Foundation and is one day of back-to-back panels, workshops and lively discussion of how to strengthen local communities.

Micki will be presenting alongside Barbara Pantuso, CEO and founder of Hey, Neighbor!, Shelby Clark, founder of RelayRides, and Caterina Rindi, Board President of Homeless Children's Network. You can catch their panel at 11:30 am, where they will be discussing the Collaborative Consumption movement and how their online communities are helping people and neighborhoods live more sustainably and save money.

You still have time to purchase tickets and there is special pricing for students and smaller organizations. We hope to see you there!